


Changing Cards of Fate

by Gyhl



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/M, I took an idea and ran with it, M/M, Multi, Post Golden Circle, also Roxy isn't dead, alternate universe - canon happened but I changed shit, because screw that, grieft, heavy accent on that mild by the way, idek yet on that tho, lol I tag with angst like I don't exist on the shit, so faeries are a thing, some mild research has been a thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2019-06-12 00:43:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15327978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyhl/pseuds/Gyhl
Summary: Don’t move. You move, we die.Harry was staring, numbly, out the window, watching the clouds passing below them. There was a mostly empty bottle of whiskey on the table, and a glass dangled from Harry’s hand. He wanted to blot out everything.Everything.Luckily, I have this. This spray will freeze the trigger mechanism.One misstep in the jungle, and Harry lost one of the people he held dearest in his life. And he could pass off everything that's been happening as grief or some side effect of the alpha-gel... except that he's not the only one it's happening to.





	1. Chapter 1

_Don’t move. You move, we die._

Harry was staring, numbly, out the window, watching the clouds passing below them. There was a mostly empty bottle of whisky on the table, and a glass dangled from Harry’s hand. He wanted to blot out everything. _Everything_.

_Luckily, I have this. This spray will freeze the trigger mechanism._

“You don’t have to be the one to tell her,” came a soft voice from behind him.

Harry let out a choked laugh. “No, I really think it should be me.”

“Harry...” He’d never seen Harry so near to breaking down.

“I missed something and Lee died because of it; who better to tell Michelle her son also died because _I missed something_?”

Merlin looked away from him, guilt plain on his face. Harry wasn’t the only one blaming himself. When he’d pressed the trigger on the spray can, nothing had happened. He didn’t know why it had failed; why he hadn’t been able to take Eggsy’s place. There’d been _one_ suit to protect against explosives on the plane. It stopped just above the knee and Merlin had little doubt he would have lost his legs, if nothing else… but he was fine with that. Harry wasn’t the only one who owed Lee a life debt.

But with the spray can failing, they’d been forced to leave Eggsy there. They’d been forced to watch him distract the guards; forced to let himself be blown up. After they’d taken care of Poppy and Whiskey, they’d gone back to look for something, for any sign that Eggsy might have, somehow, survived. Kingsman suits were bulletproof. Maybe it had given him some protection. But they’d found a few scraps of that same suit, and nothing more.

01

Harry had gone to see Michelle almost immediately. She’d taken one look at him and _known_. She’d screamed; screamed and then struck at him. He’d offered no real resistance, and she’d just collapsed on him. He’d half-carried her back inside, although he’d had no words of comfort for her. He didn’t give her a medal and a code phrase this time. This time he gave her a card with his mobile on it and a promise. A promise that she and Daisy would be looked after; that anything they needed, he would see they were provided.

He threw himself back into work. He didn’t want to think about Eggsy’s death; he didn’t want to deal with it. It helped that they had to, essentially, rebuild Kingsman. It hadn’t taken him long at all to realize that Poppy had hit _all_ of their offices and not just London. It _was_ something of a blessing that they still had their ‘staff’ people. Tech, R &D, cover employees… they were as vital to Kingsman functioning as agents were.

They weren’t done, nor were they as crippled as Poppy had aimed to leave them. Even if the only field agents they had were Arthur and Lancelot. Even if the later wasn’t likely to leave hospital for months and wouldn’t be able to return for at least a year. They had _allies_ now.

Champ had offered to send them Tequila; he’d at least be another local agent while they worked on recruitment. Harry had agreed to it. He knew they’d need the help. The two agencies would work together, even after Kingsman was back to full. It was, perhaps, the only good thing to come out of the entire fiasco. 

Merlin tried, repeatedly, to get Harry to talk. If not to him, then to _someone_. He thought about suggesting Tilde. He thought about telling Harry what had happened while he’d been ‘dead’, that he and Tilde had taken care of Eggsy through _his_ grief. But… it was hardly the time for Harry to realize that Merlin had become the third in Eggsy and Tilde’s relationship. And he _would_ realize; Harry was too observant to _not_ realize.

He hated seeing Harry the way he was, slowly killing himself by working all day and then drinking all night. It was guilt, it was grief… and it was the things unsaid; the feelings Merlin had known Harry had for Eggsy but had never spoken aloud.

Despite how much he was drinking, Harry never got out of control or angry. Rather, he became much the opposite. He would be quiet and unresponsive, staring out the window of the home he now shared with Merlin. On the nights Merlin couldn’t coax him into coming to bed, he would sit up until dawn. On those nights, Merlin kept his own silent vigil.

Merlin wasn’t certain how Harry was managing to work clear headed, especially after those sleepless nights. He knew there was only so long Harry could go on like this before the inevitable crash. He thought it would take no more than a week. But it didn’t, and every day beyond that he waited with bated breath for it to happen.

It was just over two weeks when it _did_ happen.

They’d been home for less than an hour. Harry’s mind was still on Kingsman; Merlin knew it would be for another half an hour, at the least. He was idly taking notes on what Harry was saying. With how he’d been pushing himself, Harry had been having more and more difficulty concentrating. Merlin knew he’d hear the same things several times before Harry moved on to his next thought.

“I can’t see him needing more than two or three days for that, can you?”

“No, Harry.” Patiently, quietly. Were he not feeling the weight of his own grief, he would be aggravated by having answered something similar to that two other times now. 

“Good, then we’ll have Gala-” Harry cut himself off, the rest of his words escaping in a quiet rush of breath.

Merlin set his clipboard down without a word and went to Harry. He put his arms around Harry and held him, tightly. He could feel Harry trembling and he knew the crash had begun. This had been the closest Harry had come to speaking Eggsy’s name since they’d returned to England.

“Yer only human, Harry,” he said softly, “and there’s no shame in mourning for someone yeh’ve lost… For someone yeh’ve _loved_.”

“I’m quite sure I don’t know what you mean by that,” Harry said primly.

He was trying to push _that_ conversation aside. He couldn’t have it, not now. But he’d heard the quaver in his voice, and he knew Merlin had, as well. It was as good as admitting to what Merlin had said; to admitting that his feelings for his protégé hadn’t been paternal or platonic. Perhaps it had _begun_ that way… but that had changed, and it had changed _quickly_.

“Ach, don’t give me that,” Merlin said without recrimination. “The only one who didn’t know how you felt about each other was Michelle. And the only reason _she_ never figured it out was because it was Tilde and I who took care of Eggsy when _you_ were ‘dead’.”

“Well, there _is_ a slight difference here.”

Merlin frowned slightly. “What ‘difference’ is that? You bein’ alive? Do you think either of us _knew_ that?”

“No…” He shook his head. He could hear his voice breaking. Everything he’d pushed down was fighting to come to the surface. He didn’t think he could hold it down much longer. “That’s hardly what I mean.”

Merlin sighed softly. “I know you’ve been blamin’ yourself, but-”

“But nothing,” Harry snapped. The few remaining threads of control were breaking. “I repaid Lee's sacrifice with his son’s death!”

Merlin could almost feel the last vestiges of Harry’s strength fading. He guided Harry to the floor, guided him to lay against his chest. They huddled together like children while Harry wept against Merlin, unable to prevent it any longer. Harry hated that he’d been forced to give in to his emotions like this, but Merlin had been right: he was only human.

“There are times,” Harry said after a long time, after he’d regained some control over his emotions. “Times when would I swear I can hear him.”

“That happens to everyone, Harry. In a crowded room, you-”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Harry was quiet for some time, and Merlin let him be. Harry wasn’t certain he should elaborate. He had a feeling Merlin would think he was losing his mind; it certainly _felt_ like that sometimes. “There are days, just as the sun’s coming up, that I’ll hear him. Loudly and clearly enough that he could be standing in the room with me.”

Merlin frowned slightly. That… was bad. Merlin did _not_ like the implications of it. “Harry, it’s the grief. That and how you’ve been pushing yourself. The fact that you’re not sleeping isn’t helping.”

Harry shook his head. “Do you think I don’t know that? But… it feels so real when it happens.”

“It’ll pass, Harry.”

Harry was quiet for a moment. “I don’t _want_ it to pass.”

Merlin had no good answer to that. When he thought Harry could, he helped Harry to his feet and brought him to bed. He lay awake beside him, listening even as Harry’s breathing became slow and deep. He lay there, listening even as the sun rose. Listening not just to Harry, but for Eggsy’s voice to come.

02

Harry was in a field; a wide and rolling field that went as far as he could see. To one side was a copse of cypress trees. The sun was warm on his face and he felt young. And why wouldn’t he? He’d been twenty-three when he’d come to this place. It wasn’t far outside of Tuscany. He’d gone for a mission and had stayed a day longer than necessary.

He heard a laugh behind him and felt a hand on his shoulder. “Was startin’ to wonder if you were comin’ or not.”

Harry turned, almost feeling the world tilting beneath his feet. He stared for a moment, unable to speak. “Eggsy…?”

Eggsy grinned and shrugged. “Who else was you expectin’?”

Harry shook his head and just _stared_ at Eggsy for a long, long moment. The younger man had an unbuttoned, billowing white shirt on and a pair - of all things - of leather trousers. His hair was tousled, a touch longer than it had been, and he had some heavy eyeliner on. He almost looked like he belonged on the cover of a tawdry romance novel. And perhaps the worst part of it all, Harry recognized the entire ensemble.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said finally. “This is Tuscany; you’re dead; and that outfit…”

“Is one you used to have,” Eggsy finished for him with a wink. He turned in place. “It’s your dream, Harry; I’m just along for the ride. Clearly some part of you wants to be in Tuscany, in your twenties, and you want me here.” He grinned. “And I’m guessin’ you’ve thought ‘bout me in this before.”

Harry was not going to answer that one way or the other. Perhaps he _had_ thought about that. He’d looked hot in it; why wouldn’t Eggsy? And he _did_. Oh, fuck, but he did.

“Well, if this is a dream… which, admittedly, would explain things… wouldn’t my knowing it’s a dream imply that I have some control over it?”

“Course you do,” Eggsy said with a shrug. “Ain’t like we on walkabout.”

Walkabout. That made Harry frown slightly. Astral projection was about as real as magic. Why would a dream version of Eggsy talk about it as if it were real? This _was_ his mind, after all. 

“If I wanted to change something about the dream… bring us somewhere else, for example…”

“I’d be careful if I was you.” All the humor went out of Eggsy’s face. “You have the control, yeah, but the human mind don’t like bein’ controlled. You start changin’ things, and your brain’ll start playin’ association.”

Harry wasn’t going to ask for an explanation, because the jungle instantly came to mind. The world around them changed and then they were in the jungle again. Harry couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. He could feel the hot, wet air. He could smell the jungle around them.

_Don’t move. You move, we die._

Merlin’s voice, from somewhere around them. Harry turned his head, but Merlin wasn’t there. He wondered if it was because this was so emotionally tied to Eggsy; if Merlin didn’t matter quite so much in this moment.

“Think about Tuscany, quick,” Eggsy said, looking down at the mine. “I ain’t too anxious to relive this.”

“ _You_ aren’t? You’re little more than a memory,” Harry said. He could hear the emotion in his voice. He saw _this_ enough in his mind’s eye every day. He didn’t need to relive it at night.

_Luckily, I have this. This spray will freeze the trigger mechanism._

“Please, Harry,” Eggsy begged. “I ain’t gonna be able to stop myself. Think about _anything_. Think about… about…” He shook his head, the fear clear in his eyes. “About shooting Mr. Pickle.”

Harry winced. He could almost hear the gunshot. Almost. But he couldn’t force this place away, not in a dream and not awake. It was too near, too painful. “I’m trying.”

“Harry… I ain’t dead. Remember that, if nothin’ else. _I ain’t dead._ ”

He stepped off of the mine.

Harry snapped awake, hearing the explosion in his memory. He’d caught the scream that wanted to come, but he was breathing hard and shaking. Merlin was sitting on the bed beside him, hands on his shoulders. Based on the light, it had to be close to noon.

“Nightmare.”

Merlin nodded, smiling gently. “Yeah, I figured that out. You were talking in your sleep.”

“He told me he was alive,” Harry said softly. He knew it wasn’t true, but… oh, he wanted it to be true. 

“It wasn’t real, Harry,” Merlin said gently. “He’s gone. That’s not an uncommon thing to dream.”

“It was _the_ most vivid dream I’ve ever had. I could feel things, smell things… It was… it was as if I was really there.”

Merlin was quiet for a moment. “You know, I’ve heard that we don’t actually dream in color; that we dream in black and white but we know what color is supposed to be there, so our minds fill in the rest. Maybe this was the same sort of thing.”

“Yes, that sounds… likely.” Harry sounded far from convinced. He knew, logically, that Merlin was right. But it had been _so real_ and the grief was too close for his mind to not latch onto _anything_ that might make it go away.

Merlin watched him, silently, for a few minutes. It had been a bad enough sign that Harry was hearing him. Now he was having these dreams. “Would you do something for me? No matter how odd it sounds? How… utterly irrational?”

Harry sat up and looked at him, all of his attention on the Scot for a moment. “Darling, I hardly think I’m in a position to judge right now. How ‘odd’ do you plan on sounding?” 

Merlin got up and went over to his chest of drawers. He pulled out a box from underneath his collection of socks. It was oak with iron hinges and had intricate designs on it. He opened it, studied the contents for a moment, and picked one thing from it before returning to Harry.

“I want you to wear this.” He held out what he’d gotten. It was a black ring with a triple spiral carved into it. “It’s a mourning band, and it’s supposed to help.”

Harry took the ring from him and held it for a moment. “It’s iron.”

Merlin shrugged. “I said it would sound odd and irrational.”

“Iron is supposed to ward off things, is it not? Especially _fae_ things.” He said nothing for a moment, and when Merlin didn’t speak, he continued. “Merlin, what is this _actually_ for? You may as well tell me the truth. Is it… some highland superstition about the fae and someone in mourning?”

Merlin shot him a somewhat annoyed look. “Alright, yeh’ve got me. I’m trying to protect you from a faerie. Look, there are just some things you do _not_ fuck with and you take precautions against. Even if you don’t believe in them. My mother, God rest her soul, didn’t believe in Demons. She still prayed for protection against them.”

An amused smile played on Harry’s lips. Merlin so rarely spoke of his family. His mother already passed on when Merlin had joined Kingsman, and Harry had never heard him speak of his father. But he certainly liked the idea of a young Hamish, on his knees with his mother; the both of them asking for protection against demons and devils.

He tried the ring on, and found it fit the best on his index finger. “As I said, darling, I’m hardly in a position to judge right now. I’ll wear it. For you.”

“Thank you.” He kissed Harry, very gently. “No Kingsman today. Yer gonna rest if I have to tie you to a chair.”

Harry chuckled. “Yes, sir.”

Merlin took care of Harry all day, making him rest and barely letting him do more than just that. Over the next few days, he made Harry take it easy at Kingsman, too. Harry _did_ start feeling better, although he attributed that to the dam finally breaking and some rest… and not Merlin’s ring. He still hurt, and he knew he would for a long time. He had, however, stopped hearing Eggsy’s voice and he didn’t have another dream like that.

03

“Arthur, y’all got somethin’ wrong with your phones,” Tequila said by way of greeting.

It still gave him pause, every time, to hear that thick accent coming from a Kingsman agent. Tequila had been there for two weeks, and he had settled in nicely. Harry and Merlin knew he still liked to party, but it hadn’t interfered with his work. Harry was still not feeling in the best position to judge someone for their off duty activities; Merlin wasn’t bothered by it since it wasn’t interfering with the job.

“What’s the problem?”

“Well,” he drawled, “first I thought it was kids, ya know? Pranks calls and the like. And they wasn’t sayin’ nothing’, so it was just an annoyance more’n anythang. Then yesterday… Well… It was bad enough I called the phone company, and they said weren’t no call at that time. They thought it was some sorta internal issue; cross-wirin’ or somethin’ like it.”

Harry frowned slightly. “And what was it that made you call the telephone company?”

Tequila looked from Harry to Merlin, and then back to Harry. He was starting to wish he hadn’t brought it up. “Well, I reckon it don’t matter really.”

Harry stepped toward him. “I don’t believe I asked if you felt it ‘mattered’ or not.”

“Lord have mercy,” he sighed. “That call… All he said was ‘Help me. He’s keepin’ me prisoner’, and I swear, it sounded like Galahad. It sounded _just_ like him.”

“I’ll take care of it, Arthur,” Merlin said, already taking out his mobile.

Harry listened long enough to realized that Merlin had called Tilde, to check if she’d gotten similar prank calls. That struck him as more than a little odd. Getting Kingsman’s business line wasn’t a difficult challenge; they were _listed_. But Tilde? Her numbers were not going to be available to just anyone. He didn’t think they were even in Kingsman’s database.

He left Tequila and Merlin to go into his office. He locked the door behind himself and went to his desk. He drummed his fingers on the desktop for a bit, before sighing and taking out his mobile. He set it on the desk and then just stared at it. Because this was insane. Utterly insane.

He toyed with Merlin’s ring for a minute or two before taking it off. He set it on the desk, off to the side and away from the mobile. It was stupid. It was a _very_ clear sign that he was losing his fucking mind. But just when he decided that the experiment had gone on long enough and was reaching for the ring again, his mobile buzzed. He paused, looking at the screen. No number was shown, no caller id was listed. His mobile was getting a call from nowhere, apparently.

His hand hovered over Merlin’s ring for two more buzzes. Part of his mind was screaming to ignore it, to put the ring back on, to not give in to the obvious insanity that was taking hold of him. But then he picked up the mobile.

“Yes?”

“Thank _fuck_. Wasn’t sure what I was gonna have to try if this hadn’t worked.”

The voice was cut through with static and it sounded hollow. It reminded Harry of those long ago calls on pay phones. Even still, for all the distortion, there was no denying it: it was Eggsy’s voice on the line.

“Who is this?”

“ _Who is this_?! C’mon, Harry. I ain’t got time ta fuck around right now.”

Harry shook his head. “You are _not_ Eggsy.”

“The fuck I’m not.” He sighed, and it was a burst of static on the line. “I _really_ wanna be pissed off at Merlin, but he’s just tryin’ ta protect you an’ I get that. He _knows_ I ain’t just lettin’ you be.”

“Does he now?”

The caller - because it could _not_ be Eggsy - was quiet for several seconds. “You think I’m in your head, don’t you? ‘s fair, I guess. You don’t believe in this kinda stuff. But… I’ll make you a deal. If I can prove to you this ain’t just in your head, you hear me out. You ain’t gotta do nothin’ else, no catch. Just… agree to hear me out.” He paused. “And if you don’t believe me… I won’t bother you no more, Harry Hart. I swear it.”

Harry frowned slightly. Was the use of his full name for effect? An attempt at proof? “ _If_ you can prove to me that this isn’t some hallucination from grief, the alpha-gel, or whatever else, then I will hear you out. _Only_ hear you out.”

“Fair,” he agreed. “Gimme… gimme two days, yeah?’

“Two days,” he agreed, and hung up. 

He put the mobile down and put the ring back on. He wasn’t going to tell Merlin about this, not yet. In two days, if - _when_ \- he didn’t have absolute proof that this was real, then he would. Harry wasn’t really certain which was worse at this point: having lost his mind enough to imagine he was getting telephone called from his dead protégé… or needing to step down and retire when Kingsman simply did not have the bodies for him to be able to do so.

04

Two days later, and Harry was wound tight. He kept waiting for some sign or proof, but none came. He’s been actively _looking_ for them, too. But there’d been nothing. He debated - more than once - taking the ring off… but that would be as good as saying it was real, wouldn’t it?

His proof didn’t come until early evening. He was still in his office; Tequila knocked on his door and let Tilde in. She looked somber, but she also seemed to be faring better than he was. He wondered if she hadn’t forced her own grief down the way he had; if that was why she was doing better. But then she went to him and hugged him. She clung to him like he was a lifering and he knew she was simply putting on a better show than he thought he was.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” he said softly. “That doesn’t, however, make you unwelcome.”

“I wasn’t planning on coming. I wasn’t _going_ to but…” she sighed and held on tighter. “God, this is going to sound so stupid.”

“What is it?”

She looked up at him. “I think… I think Eggsy wanted me to come see you.” She waited for him to laugh or tell her she was being crazy, but he didn’t. “I had… a dream about him. Well, I’ve _been_ having dreams about him. I know they’re dreams, but they’re so _vivid_.”

Harry said nothing for a moment. He searched her eyes for some clue that this was _different_. “Does he ever say that he’s just… along for the ride?”

Her eyes widened. “How did you know that…?”

“I had a dream about him. We were in Tuscany, at first anyway. I told him the dream made little sense. He told me that it was my dream and he was just… along for the ride.”

She looked stricken and pulled away from him. “This is fucking crazy,” she whispered. “That’s. That’s where my dream was last night. Just… in a field in Tuscany with-”

“A copse of cypress trees?”

“Yes! He was dressed up like… like a pirate or something. Leather trousers, an open white shirt, and eyeliner. I thought he looked, well…”

Harry chuckled. “Hot, but a bit ridiculous?”

She grinned and bit her lip. “Yes, that was… what I thought, too.” She paused and eyed him for a moment. “He said he stole the idea from you. That you wore it to Glastonbury in 1995.”

Harry started like she’d slapped him. “Say that again, please?”

“You’re not… _Harry_.” She shook her head. “Laugh at that, please. Tell me you didn’t really dress like _that_ … for Glastonbury.”

Harry went over to the window and leaned his forehead against it. He was feeling dizzy and a little nauseous. How was this happening? How _could_ this be happening? He sighed and straightened up.

“I absolutely wore that to Glastonbury,” he said numbly. “There are pictures of it somewhere in Merlin’s house… _our_ house.”

“But… but there _were_ some at your house, too, right? The… the one Eggsy lived in? Please, Harry, tell me there were some in that house.”

Harry shook his head. “I never brought any home.”

He toyed with the ring for a moment. Merlin had been right about not fucking with certain things. Things… Harry had never believed in but was quickly starting to. He knew he ought to just… ignore it. But he’d agreed to hear Eggsy out.

He took the ring off and set it on the bookcase. “Alright,” he said wearily, “I’m convinced.”

Tilde’s mobile rang. She frowned at it for a second. Just as with Harry, there was no name and no number. “Yes…?” Her eyes widened as the caller spoke to her. “No… No, you can’t…”

“Eggsy.”

She stared at Harry for a moment and then silently nodded.

“Put it on speaker, would you?”

She did as he asked without a word. It was _her_ turn to feel dizzy and nauseous.

“So, guess you believe me now.” Eggsy sounded amused.

Harry’s lips pressed together in a tight line. “I find your proof valid and nothing more.”

“Oh, come off it, Harry,” Eggsy all but purred. He sounded as if he was enjoying this. “Do you have _any_ idea how hard that was to pull off with you wearin’ that fuckin’ ring?”

Harry looked at the ring for a moment. He was never going to make comments about Merlin’s superstitions again. Because apparently Merlin had been right about them. It made Harry’s blood run cold. If fae existed, what _else_ was real that he’d dismissed?

“You said that you had something you wanted me to hear out. What was it?”

Eggsy laughed. “Always gotta be the professional, huh? That’s fine.”

“What the _fuck_ is this?!” Tilde shrieked.

“Babe, don’t, alright?” All the humor had gone out of his voice. There was a touch of… almost panic in its place. “You keep that up, you’ll get Merlin’s attention. He’ll realize Harry’s listenin’ to me, and then… then he’ll make sure I can’t.”

“What do you mean? Why would he…?” Tears had started running freely down her cheeks and she looked as if she was in physical pain. “Eggsy, where _are_ you?’

“‘s what I’m tryin’ to tell you, babe. Merlin’s the one got me trapped. He thinks… he thinks he’s protectin’ you from me.”

She stared at her mobile for a moment. “Merlin… No, Eggsy. Merlin _loves_ us.” She winced and looked up at Harry. She gave him an apologetic look. “It was… you were dead…”

Harry shook his head. It was hardly the time for them to talk about what had apparently happened. And he wanted Merlin to be involved in _that_ particular conversation.

“Why would he trap you somewhere?”

“I have a better question,” Harry said before Eggsy could answer. “Why _does_ the ring work?”

Eggsy said nothing.

Harry waited, and he realized he was waiting for Eggsy to come up with a convincing lie. The realization _hurt_. Because this wasn’t Eggsy. This was something _masquerading_ as Eggsy. He sighed and went to the bookcase. He touched the ring and, instantly, the phone erupted in static. He took his hand away after a moment and the static evened out.

“Fucking Hell, Harry!” He sounded as if it had hurt him. “Alright! Alright! I relent!”

“Answer me,” he said coolly. “Clearly, it _can_ keep you from being capable of contacting me. I’ve no doubt Merlin can produce something similar for Tilde. It only needs to be iron, correct?”

He sighed irritably; it came through as a burst of static. “Yeah. That’s… that’s all you need, Harry. But… you agreed to hear me out! Please…”

“A gentleman keeps his word,” he said stiffly. 

“And thank _fuck_ for that,” Eggsy said, sounding relieved. “Merlin knows where I am. He ain’t gonna show you, or even admit to it. But… I know if I keep fuckin’ with things, he’ll come here to make me stop. Follow him… Just… just come to me. Please, Harry… I’m goin’ fuckin’ stir crazy in here.” He paused, and then spoke so softly they almost couldn’t hear him. “I wasn’t ready yet.”

Tilde gave Harry a curious look. “What do you-”

“Who are you _really_?” Harry asked, cutting her off.

“Harry, it’s _me_. I promise you, it’s _really_ me.” He said nothing for a moment before sighing. “It’ll all make sense if you come to me. And… if you don’t come… I’ll keep my word to you. I won’t bother either of you again.”

“Of course we’ll come,” Tilde said softly.

The line turned to static and the connection broke. Harry picked up the ring and toyed with it for a moment. If Eggsy was true to his word, then he wouldn’t need it any longer. Merlin would notice, however, and he would be concerned by it. Especially with what he thought Eggsy was… what Eggsy _probably_ was, his mind corrected. 

He put the ring back on and thought about keeping Tilde from following Merlin. But her words had left him with a feeling of… he wasn’t certain _what_. It felt like they _had_ to, now that she’d agreed. As if it were some… magically binding contract. For all he knew, it was.

“Merlin said he was protecting me from a faerie,” Harry said. He didn’t know what to think about the fact that he now _believed_ it. “It would seem he was correct. So whatever that is, I highly doubt that it _is_ Eggsy.”

Tilde frowned. She wanted to protest. She wanted to tell Harry that things like that did _not_ exist. But she couldn’t; she wasn’t even certain of that any longer. Aside from visiting Harry’s dream, what Eggsy had told her, and now this telephone call from no one and nowhere… She sighed.

“What does he… what does _it_ want?”

“I don’t know. I have little doubt that it will ask something _else_ once we’re there.” He paused. “Still… I _need_ to find out, and I think we _have_ to go.”

She nodded. “I feel that, too… Like… Like something out of a fairy tale.”

“A magical contract?”

Her eyes lit up. “Yes!”

Harry nodded. If they _both_ felt that, then perhaps that _was_ exactly what had happened. “He’s going to lure Merlin to him. When he does, we’ll follow him.”

05

It only took a few more strange calls before Merlin decided he had to go off-site to ‘fix’ the problem. He would, of course, have better luck than Tequila and knew more about the inner workings of their telephone system than Harry. Harry had agreed with his logic wholeheartedly.

Merlin left by car, driving himself. He knew well enough how to avoid being shadowed. Harry, of course, knew Merlin’s techniques and how to counter them. He was forced - especially once they left the city - to stay back farther than he liked, but they managed to follow him well enough.

Merlin unwittingly led them to the ruins of a fort. Harry wasn’t certain of the name of it; he hadn’t even realized there _was_ a fort here. They waited until they saw him go into a single remaining structure before going any closer. The ruins were oddly well-kept. Ivy had crept up the walls and there was still rubble about from the fallen parts of the fort. But… it was cleared out for easy entrance.

Harry wondered how Merlin could be keeping someone - or some _thing_ \- in the ruins. Surely _someone_ would come upon them and want to explore. As he drew closer, he thought he had his answer. There was a heavy iron door leading inside the structure. Chains dangled from the top corners of the doorway and two more were at the base. They were iron, and there was a lock beside them.

He reached out to open the door and heard someone behind them. Harry whirled, taking out his sidearm and aiming at the sound. He found himself facing an agent he’d never met. An agent wearing a Kingsman’s signet ring. His eyes flickered from the ring to the agent’s face.

“This is private property and-” The agent stopped mid-spiel and started at Harry for a moment. He nodded respectfully and holstered his gun. “Sire. _Sir_. I mean.” He took a breath and sighed. “It’s an honor to have you here again, Arthur.”

Sire. The agent had called him _sire_. Oh, what in the fuck had he walked into? He holstered his weapon. He thought about asking what the agent meant about his being there _again_. As far as he could remember, he’d never _been_ here. 

The agent looked at Tilde, and his eyes widened in surprise. “Ma’am.” He held out a hand. She took it and he brought hers to his lips. “Truly, this is a blessèd day.”

“You know her?” Harry asked.

The agent laughed softly. “It’s been an age, aye, but I’ve not forgotten her. There… _is_ … no forgetting her. Or any of them.” He smiled a little; Harry thought it looked pained. “The Wizard did not tell me you were coming, sir. He’s down in the prison. The Beast has been lively as of late.”

Harry nodded. He assumed the ‘Beast’ was whatever was calling itself Eggsy. “Did he say if anyone else was coming?”

“No, sir. Do you have any orders?”

Harry shook his head. “Just continue as you were.”

He nodded. “Of course, sir.”

The agent pulled the iron door open. Harry entered, with Tilde right behind him. Tilde stayed close enough to Harry to keep one hand on him; she was close enough that he felt her jump when the door closed behind them.

There was only a metre or so of a hall before it led to a stairwell. It was well maintained, spiraling underground. Harry looked over the side and could see that the lighting - bright, _modern_ lighting - went all the way to the bottom. He took Tilde by the hand and started down.

“Who was that?” she whispered. “And why did he call you ‘sire’?”

Harry shook his head. “I have no idea. He was clearly Kingsman and he knew _us_ … but I’ve never met the man before.”

The staircase ended in a long hallway with another heavy iron door. Harry took his sidearm out and put his hand on the ring pull. The door moved easily, as if it was made of simple pressboard and not iron. They passed through it and into a circular room. There were three doors; left, right, and straight ahead.

Harry felt almost pulled toward the right, as if something inside of him _needed_ to go that way. And he would have… had he not looked at the doors. The left door had a series of glowing runes around it. He didn’t know what they meant, but he knew Eggsy was through the left door. Where else to put a Beast but within the left-hand path?

Harry pulled the door open; this one moved as lightly as the first had. The corridor ahead of them had more runes set into the walls. Harry would have sworn he felt something as he passed through them. Something almost like electricity. A glance back at Tilde made him realize that was exactly what he was feeling; her hair was starting to puff out from it. 

The corridor ended in a small room. The walls flared outward, and Harry was so suddenly certain of the design of the fort that he wondered if he _had_ been there before. The four paths, the large circular room in the center, the way the walls flared at the end. It was a celtic cross. He was certain of it.

And this end of it was most certainly a prison, even if there was only the one cell. It spanned the wall, cutting the room almost in half with a wall of iron bars. There _was_ a door, but Harry could see no keyhole. There were iron runes set into the walls of the prison cell. There was an open space at the bottom of the door where food could be passed into the cell. The floor of the cell was set lower than the rest of the room, forcing its occupant to look up at his jailer, at Merlin.

The prisoner wore only a pair of oversized trousers. Harry could see the iron shackles on his wrists, and the iron collar around his neck. He could see five chains attached to the far wall and he knew the prisoner’s ankles were in similar shackles. The prisoner was pale; he was underfed. Even still, there was no mistaking that face, that body.

It _was_ Eggsy.


	2. Chapter 2

01

“Eggsy!” Tilde cried.

She moved to run to him; Harry dropped one hand from his sidearm and grabbed her. He didn’t know if he could trust either of them at this point and he certainly didn’t want Tilde over with them.

Merlin looked at Harry and then at Tilde before turning his attention back to Eggsy. “Oh, you clever bastard. I suppose Tequila wasn’t the _only_ one receiving calls from you.”

“Babe! Harry! Help me!”

He put his hand through the bars of his cell. His chains would only just let his hand pass through. Merlin moved to step on Eggsy’s hand, and Eggsy pulled his arm back deftly. He hopped back a couple steps, a mischievous smirk on his face.

Harry tightened his hold on Tilde. “Merlin.” His voice was… surprisingly calm.

Merlin looked at Eggsy for a moment longer before turning away from him. He eyed Tilde for a moment. He did _not_ like the implications of it. “How did yeh get _her_ down here?”

Harry’s brow rose slightly. If he’d been in Merlin’s place, asking that wouldn’t have been his first impulse. Perhaps putting the armed and unhappy head of the organization’s concerns to rest would have come first - or at least offering some explanation as to why he was holding a member of their organization prisoner. And yet there he was, calmly asking how Harry had gotten Tilde down to the prison.

“I suppose ‘through the door and down the stairs’ is not exactly the answer you’re looking for,” Harry said blithely. He holstered his gun and let go of Tilde. “You do realize I have questions of my own.”

Merlin was stone-faced. “I realize, and I’ll answer what I can, but right now I _need_ to know how yeh for her down here.”

“The agent? The one I’ve never met or heard of?”

Merlin heard Harry’s overly cheerful tone and ignored it. He knew Harry was furious; he didn’t exactly blame him for that. But, to him, getting an answer was more important than Harry’s feelings. He went to Tilde and looked her over.

“What did he say to you?”

She looked from Harry to Merlin. “That… he hadn’t forgotten me. It was hardly the strangest thing he said. He called Harry-”

“Harry isn’t important right this second.” Merlin sighed. “Was there anything else he said, or did, to you? Did he… did he call you anything odd?”

Tilde frowned slightly. “He kissed my hand.”

Merlin closed his eyes for a moment and then turned on Eggsy. Eggsy was staring at Tilde, the surprise clear on his face. “You’re not going ta try and tell me you didn’t fuckin’ know.”

Eggsy looked at him. “I didn’t know,” he said softly. 

“Unlikely,” he spat. He turned back to Harry and sighed. “You have questions; I said I would answer. Let’s… go into the outer room and talk. And if you don’t find my answers satisfactory, Arthur-”

“No!” Eggsy yelled from his cell. “No, I oughta have my say, too! He’s just gonna try and convince you to leave me in here!” 

Merlin shot him a cold look but he didn’t deny it. There would be no _point_ in denying it. He was going to insist on it and hope that Harry would trust him - or believe him - enough to do it. He knew it wouldn’t be simple, not when he’d obviously known Eggsy was alive.

“Merlin, Tilde, and I will go talk. And then, you and I will talk.” He looked at Merlin. “Just. The two of us.”

Eggsy watched Harry for a moment. “You’re givin’ me your word, right? No matter what he says? You’ll come back and talk to me?”

Harry nodded. “You have my word.”

“Okay. Okay fine.” Eggsy went to the far wall of his cell. He leaned against it and slid down to sit on the floor.

Harry motioned toward the corridor. He let Tilde and Merlin go ahead of him. Before he went through the door, he turned back to look at Eggsy and their eyes met. There was something drawing about his eyes, and he knew it was something more than just having missed him; it was more than the need to go and touch him. As he turned away to follow the other two into the large, circular room, he realized what it was: they were preternaturally bright.

2

“Harry,” Merlin instantly began his protest once the door was closed, “you have to leave him here. He can _not_ be released.”

“Is that Eggsy?” His voice was cool; the anger below the surface clear on his face.

“Harry, you-”

“ _Answer me_ , Merlin. Is that Eggsy?”

Merlin sighed and ran a hand over his bald head. “Yes, but you don’t-”

Harry held his hand up, silencing him. “Why were you surprised to see Tilde?”

“There are… only certain people who can even come down here.” He looked at Tilde. “I had no idea. If I had…”

Tilde looked from Merlin to Harry and back again. “You don’t mean… just getting past that agent, do you? You mean… you mean physically able to be down here?”

Merlin nodded. “Aye. I don’t know if the imp knew about you or not. He _can_ lie; don’t ever doubt that. And I won’t say Tilde doesn’t concern me. The more of us there are at one time, the more of a threat he becomes.” He sighed softly. “I almost wish he’d never met you.”

The hurt was clear on her face, and then she slapped him. Hard. “Fuck you,” she spat.

Merlin reached up and touched where she’d hit him. He understood; oh, fuck, did he ever. But there was so much she didn’t know. “You need to understand - the _both_ of you need to understand - that while Eggsy may look like a man, he isn’t one. He’s a Demon, and if he gets out of that cell, he’ll kill Harry and he won’t stop there.”

“Merlin…” Tilde laughed; it was a nervous and panicky sound. “Hamish… what you’re saying… It’s… It’s…”

“It’s no crazier than you and I having the same dream, or Eggsy communicating with us through them.” Harry sighed softly. “Or an iron ring making him unable to contact us.”

Tilde looked down at the floor, because this _was_ crazier. _Merlin_ keeping _Eggsy_ locked in a cell… a building only certain people could enter… Eggsy being a fucking demon… _All_ of that was much, much crazier than sharing dreams or… or any of the rest.

“Answer one thing for me,” she asked, quietly and coldly, as she looked back up at Merlin. “Did you decide he was a fucking demon _before_ or _after_ you started fucking us?”

Merlin winced and looked at Harry. “I was going to tell you. After the mission. But… then it went how it did and…”

“And then you certainly couldn’t tell me you’d become physically intimate with someone I was in love with, who I believed had died, who you are keeping prisoner. Completely understandable.” He sighed and tried to force the sarcasm out of his voice. “I do… think you should answer the princess’ question. I would… like to know that, myself.”

“That is… a long and complicated story.”

Harry nodded as if he’d expected something along those lines. “How does Eggsy’s cell open? I noted the lack of a keyhole in the door.”

Merlin shook his head. “You can’t let him out.”

Harry sighed. “Merlin… I want to touch him. I _need_ to. It doesn’t mean I’m going to let him out.”

Merlin looked away from him. “There is… only one person who can open that door.”

Harry laughed softly. “Of course. I suppose it’s you.”

“No,” he said softly. “You, Harry.”

Harry’s brow rose. “Me? How is it coded to me?”

“Magic,” Merlin said with a shrug.

“Magic,” Harry repeated flatly.

Merlin walked away from them. He tipped his head back and sighed. He knew, someday, it would come to this. That someday they would be in this place and Harry would ask. Knew it… and never wanted it to happen. He felt he’d been lucky that he’d gone so long without it happening. 

He knew he could talk until he was blue in the face. He could insist on things that he knew Harry had never believed in. And he knew Harry was just stubborn enough to refuse to believe him, even in the face of everything that had happened. It would be easier… and faster… to just show him.

He flicked his hand. Three chairs appeared, one after the other. “Sit, and we’ll talk.”

“Hamish, what the _fuck_?”

Merlin went to one of the chairs and sat. “Please. Sit.”

Harry nodded to Tilde and they both sat. “How did you do that?”

Merlin laughed softly. “A lot of practice?” He sighed. “Harry… do you remember my joining Kingsman?”

Harry nodded. “Yes. I’d been there two years before you joined.”

“Yes. But do you _remember_ it? Do you remember me being recruited? Working with my predecessor? Any of that?”

He frowned slightly. “No… I just.” He paused thoughtfully. “You just were there.”

Merlin nodded. “I altered everyone’s memories slightly so that none of you would question the change.”

“And why would you do that?”

He offered Harry a wry smile. “Keeping an eye on you has been simple since Kingsman, and I needed to get close to you. So I… did as the imp and I both do, and took a new face.”

Tilde’s hands tightened on the arms of the chair. “You thought he was a demon even _then_?”

Merlin shook his head. “I didn’t _know_ it was him. He doesn’t let me just see his new face.”

“You took a new face,” Harry repeated slowly, as if he hadn’t heard the rest.

Merlin was silent for a moment. “That creature, the knight you met, and I… we are all over fifteen _hundred_ years old. The knight? That is Elyan the White. He’s why I kept every Arthur from using that name.”

“Elyan,” Harry repeated. “So he’s… one of the actual… Knights of Camelot.”

“Yes.” Merlin paused. “The magic keeping him alive is bound to the fort and the spell that will only allow certain people to pass. It’s how he knew Tilde for who she’d once been. He is… the only one who can identify us at a glance.”

“Who I’d… once been?”

“Guinevere.”

Harry’s lips were pressed into a tight line. Elyan had called him ‘sire’ and Eggsy’s cell would only open for him. Eggsy was determined to kill him. That… quite sufficiently narrowed down who Merlin thought they were… Or… who they actually had been.

“Arthur,” Harry said. He nodded toward the prison wing door. “And Mordred.”

Merlin nodded. “Aye, Harry.”

“And you…” Harry just stared at Merlin for a moment. They’d been together for over a decade. What was that to Merlin? An hour? “You really _are_ Merlin.”

He nodded. “It’s… been nice, working with Kingsman and being called by my name. In the short history of Kingsman, there has truly only been _one_ Merlin there. It’s always been me.” He paused. “I never suspected it was Eggsy, not until you told me you’d been hearing his voice. Honestly, given that we thought he’d killed you, I’d assumed it was Valentine.”

“Technically, he _did_ kill me.”

Merlin nodded. “And if you’d stayed dead, the cycle would have been broken. I’ve no idea what that would have meant for the imp.”

“Stop fucking calling him an imp,” Tilde snapped.

Merlin lowered his head. “I can’t call him Eggsy. I can’t. I _loved_ Eggsy. I can’t let myself love _that_. Not now that I know.” He looked at Harry. “I never meant to fall in love with you. It wasn’t… something I’d planned.”

“That’s nice to know,” Harry said softly.

“And I didn’t know about you, Tilde. I swear before God, I did not know.” He paused. He wanted to tell her more, to tell her why she had to stay away from Eggsy. But he couldn’t bring himself to. Not yet.

Harry sat forward. “You know who Arthur is every time, and _only_ Arthur? At least until Mordred reveals himself?”

Merlin nodded.

“Does he know _you_?”

“Oh, yes,” Merlin sighed. “So few people are capable of magic in this age. Spotting me is a simple task for him.”

Tilde’s eyes widened. “Then he… he _knew_ about you when… when we were…”

“Yes,” Merlin said. There was something bitter in that single word, and something painful.

Harry rose. “You make a compelling argument. I won’t deny that.”

“But you’re still going to talk to him.”

“Of course. I gave him my word.”

Harry looked at Tilde. He wondered what would have happened had _he_ been the one to go after Valentine and not Eggsy. Would they have come together again? How bad would it have been? Harry sighed, pushing the thoughts away, and went back toward the prison.

03

Eggsy was still sitting on the floor when Harry entered the prison again. He looked up at the sound of the door. He looked surprised, and happy, that Harry had come back. He stood and went to the bars, his chains dragging on the stone floor.

“I’d started wonderin’...” he said softly.

“I gave you my word,” Harry said simply. He went over to the cell, stopping about a metre away. “What are you?”

Eggsy laughed softly, as if he couldn’t believe the question. “What am I? Harry, c’mon now.”

“If you’re not going to answer a simple question,” Harry turned to leave.

“No! Wait! I…” he sighed. “I ain’t a Demon. I know he tells people I am, but I ain’t. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Oh, of course not. Fae can’t lie, now can they?” Harry took the iron ring off and toyed with it. Could fae break an oath? Eggsy had given his word that he’d leave him alone. Or did that only apply to his going to the fort?

Eggsy snorted at him. “That’s just propaganda, Harry. Fae are just as capable of lying as humans are. Dancing around the truth, though? Much more fun.” He paused. “But… I wouldn’t lie to you. Never to you.”

Harry’s brow rose. Eggsy would kill him every lifetime, but he wouldn’t lie to him. Somehow, he had trouble believing that; that lying was the line he wouldn’t cross.

“I wouldn’t”, he insisted.

“Where’s Gary?”

Eggsy laughed, tipping his head back. “Oh, I don’t know,” he half-sang. He looked back at Harry, the humor fading from his face. “I never know what happens to ‘em. Ain’t like I get much chance to pop into fae places from here.”

“What do you mean, you never know?”

Eggsy tipped his head slightly, curiously, and then nodded. “Merlin ain’t told you much of anythin’ about me, huh? See, when they get picked, I just… sorta wake up there. Felt bad for mum, though. _Michelle_. Lost her husband and suddenly her son’s gone a bit odd. Always did like her. And you have _no_ idea how hard it was to just not… turn Dean into a fuckin’ toad or some shit.” He shrugged. “Merlin woulda known that and been on my arse in two seconds.”

Harry paled slightly. “You… took Gary _after_ I gave him the medal?”

Eggsy shrugged. “ _I_ didn’t take him, Harry. I just… you know… _replaced_ him.” He nodded. “But, yeah, probably wasn’t too long after. Ain’t like you coulda known what would happen.”

“Why Gary? Why take him?”

Eggsy sighed softly. “Because you chose him. He was someone you were gonna look after. That was how we was gonna come together again.” He shrugged. “Look, Harry, I didn’t make the rules. She made ‘em. I’m just… stuck with ‘em.”

“She?” Harry took a step toward the cell. “Who is ‘she’?”

Eggsy watched Harry’s face for a moment before shaking his head. “I dunno how much you wanna hear. It’s long and-”

“Complicated,” Harry finished for him. “Merlin said much the same.”

“Well… he ain’t wrong.”

Harry watched him for a moment and then sat, cross-legged, by the cell. He was just out of Eggsy’s reach. He didn’t think it would be too intelligent to let _Mordred_ touch him. “I’m inclined to agree with Merlin and leave you in there.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah, can’t blame you for that.” He looked up at Harry. “...did he tell you, Arthur?”

“With what he said, I figured it out… Mordred.”

Eggsy sighed; it was a quiet, shaky whimper full of longing. His eyes slipped shut. It had been so long, so _very_ long, since Arthur had called him by his name and not… whatever name he had to adopt. It didn’t matter that his voice was different; it was _Arthur_.

Harry did not miss Eggsy’s reaction to his name. It had been… almost sexual. “Do you have any argument for why I should let you out?”

Eggsy came forward as far as he could and stretched his arm out enough to pull the shackle back some. He winced as it touched unmarked skin. Harry could see the burns from where it had been touching him.

“Any _other_ reason?” He knew it was cruel, his being willing to leave Eggsy in chains that burned him. It was cruel, but necessary.

He shrugged and turned away. “I dunno if it’s enough.”

“Tell me.”

Eggsy said nothing for a long moment before looking up at Harry hopefully. “You know… it’d be a lot easier if I showed you. If you’d let me in.”

Harry laughed softly. “Invite a faerie into my mind? That sounds… questionable, to say the least.”

Eggsy grinned. “Yeah, probably ain’t smart… but… I give you my word: I’ll just show you what I need to show you and then I’ll leave. I won’t do nothin’ else.”

Harry smirked ever so slightly. “Fae can lie. Can they also break their word?”

“Sure. If it ain’t bindin’, I can break it.” He paused and sighed. “You want me to make it an oath? Fine. I swear by the Queen of _Ynys Afallon_ that I’ll only show you what I need to and then leave without doin’ anything else.”

“Alright,” Harry said, and eyed Eggsy for a moment. If Eggsy was willing to swear on the name of the Queen of Avalon, on the sometimes fairy queen, sometimes goddess Morgan le Fay, Harry was willing to accept his oath. “How do we do this then?”

“Well, you…” He trailed off, staring at Harry, his eyes full of pained longing and need. He sighed a shudder. “You don’t… need to do nothin’.”

“What?”

Eggsy shook his head. “I swore I wouldn’t do anythin’ but show you. That’s all I’m gonna do.”

“Tell me,” Harry said softly. “Please.”

“You don’t know how badly I wanted to lie to you, to tell you that you had ta take my hand.” He shrugged.

Harry considered asking for an explanation. The way Eggsy had sighed, the look that had been in his eyes. Mordred or not, planning on killing him or not, he couldn’t deny that Eggsy truly seemed to love him. He had just decided to reach through the bars and touch him when he felt the world changing around him.

04

Harry was in another rolling field. He knew it wasn’t Tuscany. It was… _somewhere_ in England. _Britannia_ , his mind corrected, _it is still called Britannia_. As he looked around, he realized two things: Eggsy was gone and he _did_ know where he was. Camelot was only two or three leagues to the east.

There was a horse waiting - his horse - and he started walking toward it. He wasn’t entirely certain if he had any real control of if he was simply, as Eggsy had put it, along for the ride. He knew he was Arthur again. He was in a full set of chainmail, save for the coif, with a sword at his side and a cape on his back. He could feel the crown on his head. And Arthur had depth perception; wonderful, glorious, so badly missed depth perception.

Harry tried to stop walking. He wanted to _see_ the crown of Arthur. But he couldn’t make himself stop moving toward the horse. It answered the question of whether or not he was along for the ride, at least. He heard another horse approaching and felt his head being turned.

“There you are!”

He smiled at the young man on horseback. Harry realized that ‘young’ was a relative term; he knew - just as he knew where he was - that they were the same age in this time and place. He had dark eyes and dark, curly hair. He was pale and almost feminine in his beauty. It was Mordred.

“I’d nearly given up on you. I thought perhaps some fair being had made off with you.”

Harry knew that wasn’t exactly what Mordred had said; that his mind was interpreting it for him. They were speaking some variety of Old English, or perhaps something before it. He didn’t know - not off the top of his head - what variety had been spoken in sixth century. 

“There is nothing so fair as you,” Arthur said.

Mordred grinned at the compliment, and a flush rose in his pale cheeks. Harry could _feel_ Arthur’s love for the man; he could feel the desire the king held for Mordred. _They were lovers_.

“You promised to show me a wonder today.”

“So I did,” Arthur laughed. “How badly will we be missed if we steal an hour?”

Mordred smiled, and it was so openly full of love and adoration that it made Harry’s heart hurt. “You are the king, Arthur. What man can tell you that you mayn’t?”

They stole much more than a hour. They made love beside a lake with Arthur’s cape spread beneath them like a blanket. After they lay in each other’s arms, Arthur running his fingers along the soft, unmarked skin of Mordred’s back. It was a mystery to him how the knight had remained so untouched by battle. Sometimes he wondered if he beloved was magic in some way.

“What is this wonder you have to show me?” He was not anxious to leave Arthur’s arms. They’d had too few moments like this recently. He missed being able to regularly lay beneath his king and be shown Arthur’s love and passion; he was certain few had ever known the like.

“Perhaps I merely wanted to slip away to love you. Certainly _you_ are a wonder.”

Mordred laughed softly. “Do I occupy your thoughts so?”

“Why would you not? Are you not my beloved?”

“Yes, but I can never be your queen.”

Arthur sighed softly and kissed him. “Duty and love are not the same thing, beloved. There will come the day when Guinevere is my queen, but there will not come a day when _you_ are not first in my heart, my dear Mordred.”

And then Arthur was kissing him again, touching him. He guided Mordred onto his back again and lay over him. Even as that happened, Harry could feel the world changing around him. He was back in the ruin, still sitting in the same spot he had been. Eggsy was looking at him, his preternaturally bright eyes full of pain. Harry was silent for a long, long time after.

05

“Mordred was Arthur’s son and nephew,” Harry said finally. “They couldn’t have been the same age.”

Eggsy laughed bitterly. “I was no more your son then than I am now. We never were blood. Well… there _was_ that one lifetime we was sisters, but that’s…” He shook his head and sighed. “There’s a _lot_ wrong in the stories. But… what do you expect? Ain’t no writings from then that survived and people’ve written a _lot_ of different things over the centuries. Sometimes I’m your son and nephew, sometimes just your nephew. Sometimes I’m just another knight. You know there’s a version that’s got _me_ as the rightful king and _you_ as the traitor.”

It wasn’t too surprising of an idea that, over fifteen centuries, what had been two male lovers had been changed into father and his son/nephew. Harry supposed, if Arthur and Mordred had been stealing away, their love affair might not even have been known. One friend murdering another didn’t make for as good of a story as patricide did.

“Arthur thought you were magical.”

Eggsy smiled softly. “Yes, he did. Somehow, I managed to never be so badly injured that I was left scarred.” He paused. “But, to answer the question you ain’t askin’, I _was_ human then. Was born human.”

Harry was silent for a moment. “How… _when_ … did Merlin find you and bring you here?”

Eggsy tittered. “When I murdered you. The first time.”

Harry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “No, I mean bit more recently than that. He hasn’t left me alone long enough to have gone into the jungle, find you, and haul you back here.”

“Yeah, well, he ain’t gotta do that.”

“And why not?”

Eggsy tipped his head slightly. A little, mischievous smirk started to form and he bit it back. He knew he was half-mad. He’d been going slowly, so _painfully_ slowly, mad for 1,500 years. Every time he was forced to kill Arthur again, he felt a little more of his sanity slip away. It was easier to act sane when he was a shadow.

“I could show you. Bit easier than explaining.” He paused. “Ain’t gotta go in your mind for it. But I won’t do it if you ain’t alright with it.”

“Show me,” he invited.

Eggsy winked at him and lay on the floor. He got settled and then... seemed to _fade_. Harry could still see him in his chains, but he was dark and unrecognizable. Harry would have had a hard time telling him apart from the shadows of the cell had it not been for the chains.

“That’s why.”

Harry started and turned, getting to his feet in one, smooth motion. Eggsy was standing behind him, his posture loose and hands in his trouser pockets. He was wearing his suit. Harry realized that it wasn’t _just_ that the version inside the cell was underfed. He was more angular than the Eggsy he’d known.

Eggsy grinned and looked down at himself briefly. “This is how I do it. I mean… right now I can’t go outside of this room, but… same principle.”

“Why can’t you…?”

Eggsy shrugged and turned partway away from him. “Cos I ain’t got nothin’ to tether me.”

Harry shook his head. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to explain that.”

“I wasn’t… entirely… truthful with you before, when you asked if I knew what happened to the kids she takes.” He looked over at Harry. “I don’t _know_. I _suspect_ but I don’t _know_.”

“Tell me, please.”

“She uses them to… to make me a more permanent form than this shadow. Once you’re dead again, I snap back here shortly after.” He paused. “Merlin found one of their bodies. I figure, once you’re dead and she don’t need me out and about, she kills whoever I replaced.” He paused again. “When I stepped off that mine, I killed Gary. But it was him or you, so...”

“You were going to kill me.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah. I could feel the moment coming. ‘s why I hid the spray from you. Mine froze, just like it was supposed to.” He sighed. “I would rather be locked in here, away from other people, away from the sun, bound in iron for all time than kill you once more.”

“Forgive me for how this is going to sound,” Harry said mildly, “but if that’s the case, why not just kill yourself when you wake up somewhere else and be done with it?”

“You think I ain’t tried that? I cannot physically take those actions.” He laughed softly. “A bit glad ‘stepping off a mine’ ain’t in the list of things I can’t do.”

Harry went over to him and touched his cheek. Eggsy smiled and tipped his head against Harry’s hand. Harry slipped his hand behind Eggsy’s head, and then Eggsy was in his arms. He felt so _real_ that Harry had a hard time remembering that it was just some sort of illusion.

“Do you… do you even _feel_ anything?”

Eggsy nodded against him. “It’s like… the memory of being touched. I feel it, just… distantly.”

“If you’re let out, _will_ you try and kill me?”

“Eventually, yeah. I dunno when.”

Harry tipped Eggsy’s head back, his eyes on Eggsy’s own. “Can you warn me when you feel it coming?”

Eggsy shrugged and shook his head. “I dunno. I never tried.”

“I think I’ve heard all I need to,” Harry said softly and stepped back from him.

The doppelganger vanished and the shadow inside the cell filled back in. Eggsy lay there for a moment, holding his breath and listening. Then he heard Harry’s steps withdrawing. Harry was leaving.

Eggsy sat up and lowered his head. Now that Harry knew about him, knew about them… Merlin could tell Harry if - really _when_ \- someone new was replaced. Harry could watch out for _himself_. So, really, it was better this way.

It was better...

06

It was only a few minutes before Eggsy heard the door open again. He cringed. It was probably Merlin. A furious Merlin. Harry’d probably told Merlin everything he’d said. And now the Wizard was gonna make him pay for it.

“Been a lotta years since you done this, Wizard,” he mocked. “Sure you still got the stomach for it? Gonna be able to handle it when it’s _Eggsy’s_ voice beggin’ for mercy?”

“I’m not quite certain I want to know about this.”

His head snapped toward the voice - _that_ voice - and he scrambled to his feet. “Harry… I thought… I thought…”

“You thought it was just _me_ comin’ in, aye?” Merlin said, stepping toward the cell.

“Ye-eah…”

“Harry just wanted a bit of... iron chain.” Merlin paused, letting that hang in the air for a moment. “I suppose he doesn’t like what you’re in.”

Merlin saw the fear spark in the fae’s eyes… and he regretted the threat. Oh, God above, he _regretted_ what he’d said to the imp. He tried to close his heart off; to tell himself that the imp had _planned_ on this.

He thought about their first kiss. Eggsy had reached out for him, had whispered his name. _Please_ , he’d whispered, _I need you_. And he’d bought it. He’d been certain Valentine had been the imp. He’d never _questioned_ Eggsy’s feelings.

Merlin sighed. Try as he might, he couldn’t steel himself against those frightened eyes. “Against my advice, Harry… is letting you out. As I can no more break those chains than you, he wanted a length of iron to bind you with. That’s all.”

“It’s a good idea,” he said. “Keep me bound, under control. No one wants me havin’ access to all my power.”

Merlin scoffed. “Yeh’d _love_ ta have them back.”

“No,” he said softly. “I’d just use them to kill him. I don’t want them.”

Merlin almost believed him. Almost, but not quite. He heard Harry coming near and looked over at him. “Find what you wanted?”

“This is the shortest length you have,” he said, holding up the chain he’d coiled. “And _it_ is a good three metres.”

Merlin shrugged. “I never had a use for shorter chains with him.”

“Mm.” Harry did _not_ press the issue.

Harry went to the cell door and put his hand on it. He heard tumblers turn and the door swung toward him. He pushed it open, staring at it in awe. He went down the three steps into the cell and looked at Eggsy. Eggsy… whose eyes were wide, who looked torn between running to Harry and bolting from him.

“Easy,” Harry said softly.

He walked to Eggsy slowly, his empty hand out. He could _see_ the fae trembling, hear his shaking breaths. Soon enough, Harry was less than a metre away from him; Eggsy fell back a step and Harry stopped moving.

“It’s alright.”

He took another step, and now he could reach Eggsy. He cupped Eggsy’s cheek in his hand. The fae’s eyes closed and Harry saw his knees start to give. He dropped the chain so he could grab Eggsy before he hit the floor. Eggsy clung to him, and Harry realized he could hear him softly crying.

“What is it?”

“Jus’... been so _long_ ,” he sighed. “I ain’t… felt another’s touch in centuries… Not… not like _this_.”

He reached up and touched Harry’s face. He ran his fingers along Harry’s jaw, his cheekbones, his ears. He wanted to run his hands through Harry’s hair but… he knew what it took to keep those soft curls in line. He wouldn’t muss it; Harry wouldn’t want that.

His touches were so soft and gentle that Harry wondered if Eggsy though he’d break. And seeing the wonder, the love, the _need_ in Eggsy’s eyes… Harry couldn’t believe that Eggsy was inherently dangerous to him. Couldn’t… or just didn’t want to.

Harry pressed his lips to Eggsy’s own. Eggsy’s lips parted and he tasted Harry, tasted his breath. It was different - so very different - from the last time he’d kissed Arthur, but at the same time, it was still like kissing Arthur. It was the same _soul_ ; the same man he’d loved from lifetime to lifetime. And that man was _holding_ him, sharing his breath.

Dear Lord, what had he ever done to deserve such sweet mercy?

07

Harry only let go of Eggsy when he was certain the fae could stand on his own again. He touched one of the shackles and it popped open, just as easily as the door had. He carefully removed it, expecting that it would be stuck to some of the skin beneath. But for as charred as the skin looked, the shackle slipped right off. Harry gently touched the edge of the burned area and realized the skin was as smooth and supple as the rest of him.

“Eternally burning and never dying,” Eggsy said quietly. “Been livin’ in my own little Hell.”

Harry frowned. “I can’t… leave you entirely unchained.”

Eggsy nodded. “You really… can’t.”

Harry met his gaze for a moment before freeing his other wrist. Eggsy rubbed his wrists, sighing softly at how much less he hurt. And then he lowered his head and held his hands up to Harry.

“I won’t fight you.”

“I thought it might be less obtrusive if it was around your ankle, actually.”

“Yeah,” Eggsy nodded. “Ankles are better anyway. Can’t run if you don’t give me enough slack.”

Harry reached out to take the collar off of him and Eggsy shied away, shaking his head.

“Leave that for last. So I ain’t totally unbound.”

“Alright…”

Harry knelt and took the shackles off of his ankles. He wrapped the chain around one and went to lock it in place. Eggsy put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up.

“Wrap it twice, and a little tighter. Don’t want it comin’ off.”

Harry looked up at Merlin, and gave him a silent and insolent look. Merlin shrugged. Harry held his gaze for a moment longer before returning to the chain. He locked it in place. Before he could stand up, Eggsy had shifted his weight and brought his free ankle forward.

Harry stroked the burned mark above Eggsy’s ankle and stood. “One is fine.” He took the collar off of him. “Merlin has insisted on putting an anchor in the house for it. You’ll be bound, but still have room to move about.”

He kept the chain away from Eggsy’s body and took him by the hand. He led him out of the cell. Eggsy hesitated at the door and Harry stopped moving. He looked back at Eggsy and could see the fear on his face. He wasn’t certain if it was the fear of Merlin, of being out of the cell after fifteen centuries, or a bit of both.

“I won’t force you to leave. If you want, I can put the chains back.” He paused. “Or you can come with me, with us. You’ll be safe, Eggsy.”

“Ain’t me I’m worried about,” he said quietly, and then rushed out of the cell and into Harry’s arms again.

Eggsy shuddered against Harry for a moment before stepping back just a little. He wondered how much of a mistake this was. He wondered how much warning he’d have before the moment came again. He wondered if he’d even be _allowed_ any warning this time.


	3. Chapter 3

01

Eggsy didn’t let go of Harry for a second; not when he’d met Tilde in the circular room, not when they’d gotten into the car. After all the centuries since Camelot, Arthur had found him. Found him and then freed him, as if Harry thought he could prevent the inevitable.

Merlin had conjured an anchor ring into the lounge floor. He’d anchored the chain at the middle and then drew a circle of runes around him. They glowed faintly purple. And then he took a seat as far from the fae as he could.

Harry had brought a dining room chair over to where Eggsy and sat just inside the circle. Eggsy sat at his feet while Harry gently worked aloe into the burns on his neck. Tilde had joined them, and was working aloe into the burns on his wrists.

Merlin let them be for some time before speaking. “I need to be free to speak,” he said. “And I cannot be with _that_ here.”

“And why is that?” Harry asked mildly. 

“He doesn’t think I’ll let him tell his side of it.”

Tilde frowned. “His side? What, is there more to it than Eggsy’s a demon, and Harry and I are Arthur and Guinevere?”

Merlin laughed softly. “There is a _lot_ more. I don’t know if I should begin where it began… or with the last time you were with us...”

“That time,” Eggsy began, “was the same as the first. Except Arthur wasn’t the _only_ one I killed. A different time, a different method, but… the same basic story.” He shook his head. “That lifetime was… horrible.”

Merlin eyed Eggsy for a moment before sighing. “Fine. It seems… well behaved. I’ll tell you my side of things, why I’ve kept him locked in five chains of iron.” He looked at Harry. “Though it may well be a moot point since you let it out.”

Eggsy shook his head. “My powers have been sapped for so long… I’ll be safe in one chain.” He twisted enough to look up at Harry. “That’s why he kept me bound in five places. Wasn’t just to be a fuck. It took that much iron to block as much of my power as he could.”

“Well, it’s nice to know he wasn’t just needlessly torturing you.”

Eggsy looked at Merlin and smirked. “Torture went out of style in the mid-1600s, Harry. He ain’t done it since then.”

Merlin glared at the fae. “I had _good_ reasons for torturing you,” he snarled.

“You _tortured_ him?”

“Oh, yeah, babe. He got good at that. He-”

“Eggsy,” Harry’s voice was a low warning.

Eggsy sighed softly, trying to rein himself in. “It was the sixth and seventh century, babe. I was…” He shook his head. “He _did_ have good reason.”

Merlin’s brow rose. He’d never heard the imp admit that before. How much of this was an act? If it _was_ an act, it was a _good_ one.

“Camelot had already been well established by the time Arthur and Guinevere wed,” Merlin began…

02

In the years following Arthur’s marriage, a pair of sisters had come to Camelot and made it their home. They were called Morgan and Morgause. They were together almost constantly, although Merlin _did_ occasionally see Morgause without her younger sister. It was plain to him that she was just overprotective. _He_ would have been overprotective of her, too.

Merlin had wanted Morgan from the moment he’d first seen her. Morgan was beautiful. She had long, dark red hair that flowed in waves down her back, and eyes as green as a cat’s eye. The dresses she wore were loose, flowing things that were often as green as her eyes. She didn’t walk like a lady; she walked like a sexual creature.

And then he met her. He didn’t just _want_ her; he’d fallen for her instantly. She had come to him, claiming to be a sorceress like her sister. Merlin… had a number of doubts. The major doubt being that she struggled with the most basic of cantrips. She seemed so _new_ to it all. She was… innocent; soft and kind. And she had an unslakable thirst for knowledge.

He’d only been training her for a matter of weeks when they’d become lovers. He hadn’t been wrong about her being a sexual creature, either. She wasn’t shy about sex, and she had _clearly_ had lovers before him. She would match his pace, his rhythm; and she would cling to him, nails digging into his shoulders, as the waves of her orgasms overtook her.

They fell into something of a steady routine. He would teach her and, her lesson learned, they would make love. Sometimes it was late into the night when she left his home. But then the night came when she fell asleep in his arms. Morgause had come to his home, nearly breaking his door in and holding fire in her hands.

Morgan, uncaring of her own nudity, had run from the bed to her sister. Merlin never knew what she said, but it cooled the sorceress’ ire. Slowly, the fire went out in her hands and the look she gave him was nearly chilling. It spoke of the Hell she would visit upon him if she needed to. It had taken months for him to gain the elder sister’s trust, but once she had it, she rarely checked up on them.

But then, one night when the moon was full, she lay awake after they’d made love and she whispered to him. Her words were soft, frightened things. It was as if she feared being overheard while in his home, in his bed.

“I did not come to you just to learn magic.”

He laughed and she shushed him.

“I speak true. Magic was… a secondary goal.”

“Then why _did_ yeh come? To take a lover?”

She shook her head. “I…” She left his arms and went to the window, peeking out of it as if she expected throngs of people. Satisfied, she returned to his arms. “There is a Beast is loose in the Kingdom.”

The amusement vanished from his face. He knew she wasn’t speaking of an animal, but of a Demon, an imp. “Which Beast do yeh speak of?”

She tried to speak and only shook her head. He could see the frustration in her clear, green eyes. “I cannot name it beyond that, but I know what it wants.”

“What does it want, my dearest?”

She bit her lip. “To destroy the Kingdom, starting with King Arthur. It’s… it’s why I came to _you_.”

“Yeh’ve been in my bed all these _weeks_?!” He raised his hand to her. “Tell me _why_ yeh’ve not said word one!”

She looked down, her head tipped to the side. She was clearly waiting for the blow, waiting silently for him to strike her. It doused his rage and his hand fell. He was angry, yes, and irritated with her for having waited so long. But the rage he had been ready to take out on her… _that_ was more properly aimed at himself. He was the King’s Wizard. If _anyone_ had sensed a Beast about, it _should have been him_. And he had missed it.

“Why have yeh not said something?” he asked again, and this time his words were soft, gentle.

“I did not know how I could tell you. I have tried, night after night, and I could not speak the words.”

He nodded. “It is normal to fear a Beast.”

She shook her head. “It is not _fear_ that froze my lips.”

“Then what?”

She sighed softly. “It is a Demon of Hell.”

Merlin offered her a wry smile. “As they all are, my dearest. Even those few which have shunned their natures and walk in the Light of God are still Demons of Hell.”

“Yes,” she said softly. “I thought it was some fey being. It offered to help me… and then it bound me to its will.”

“I have not heard of fey binding other fey in such a manner,” he said softly.

She started. “Other… fey…?”

He cupped her cheek. “I know what you are, my sea-born one.”

“How did you know…?”

“Does that matter?”

She shook her head. “I suppose not.”

He kissed her, gently at first, and then more hungrily. She’d lit a fire in him like no other woman had. If it wasn’t Arthur’s life on the line, he might be tempted to just have her again and forget about the Beast wandering Camelot for now. He knew it wasn’t the only Demon in Camelot, but the other Demon wasn’t after his King.

“Can you tell me aught of the Beast?”

She shook her head and lowered it. “Not enough. I cannot tell you its face nor its name.”

He curled his fingers under her chin and made her look up at him. “You said it calls itself a fey. Can it be bound like one? With iron?”

She tipped her head slightly, her eyes thoughtful. “I don’t know,” she said softly, as though the idea hadn’t occurred to her before. “I could… I could try and find out. It would burn me and…” She shuddered. “I fear what it would do to me. But I will see if it burns the Beast and I will tell you.” She clutched his hand. “I will not lose you, no matter what it does to me?”

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “You will _never_ lose me, Morgan. _Never_.”

She nodded. She was clearly terrified of the Beast, but she was willing to do it so long as she had him. “Watch for one with a burn… The hand. I will touch the Beast’s hand with an iron band.”

“I will watch for one with such a burn.”

It was nearly a week before he heard back at all. In that time, he’d seen no one with a burn on the back of their hand. It was late the night of the fifth day when a knock came at his door. He had assumed it was Morgan returning. But it was not Morgan; it was her sister, Morgause.

“Morgan is here, is she not?”

He could see how worried she looked. He felt fear close around his throat. “I’ve not seen her in nearly a week.”

Morgause turned from him, wrapping her arms around herself. “She left two nights ago. She said she would come here to be with you. One night became two and I thought she may have just wished a longer time. When she did not return today…” She shook her head. “Today is a mind-day. Our parents were wed on this day. It has _always_ been important to us both.”

“I fear I put her in more danger than I realized,” Merlin said quietly. For all his power, he hadn’t been able to find a Demon beyond the one he knew of.

“How?”

“Morgan told me of her Beast.”

She shook her head. “Please tell me you did not send her after it, Wizard! There is more than one Demon in this Kingdom. Such things are best left to themselves, lest their natures come to light.”

Merlin looked taken aback. “How do you know there are Demons?”

She smiled knowingly. “I am not as green as my sister is, Wizard. I can See, and I know the faces of both Demons.”

“And you know the face of the one she calls Beast?”

She nodded and shook her hair. “I know its face well. It bothers none and plays at being fey. Let it, says I.”

“It has bound her to its will,” he said gently.

Morgause’s face darkened. The anger was clear in her dark eyes. “Bound her? She said as much?”

Merlin nodded. “Yes. She told me it seeks the life of my King. At my request, she was going to see if it was weak to iron as fey are.”

She looked stricken. “She could have asked _me_.” She shook her head. “When Morgan first worried over her Beast, I watched him. Carefully. He isn’t a true Demon, not one of the Fallen. He is a mortal who made a pact with one such. He can be bound as any fey can… but if he has realized she means to fight him…”

He put his hands on Morgause’s shoulders. “I need to know who he is. Not simply to stop him, but to find Morgan.”

She held his gaze for several seconds before looking away. “You will not believe me, but meet me in the square at midday tomorrow. He will be there. I will try to mark him.”

“Please, be safe. I would not have both of you on my conscience.”

She shook her head. “Do not worry. I will be safe.”

The night did not pass quickly enough for his liking. Every moment was another that Moran, undoubtedly, passed in the captivity he had sent her to. He tried locator spells, Demon seeking spells, everything he could think of. The Beast was too well hidden. It knew how to evade his gaze.

He was in the square long before midday. He searched over every person he saw for some sign that they had been burned or were more than they appeared to be. The midday bell had not yet rung when he saw Arthur, accompanied by his wife and their personal guard, Mordred. It was only when they’d approached that Merlin realized Mordred was trying to keep his hand from view. But with skin as pale as his, the burn mark stood out so darkly that a single glimpse of it was all Merlin had needed.

Morgause had been right: he wouldn’t have believed her. Mordred had always been _nothing_ but loyal. He hadn’t taken to Guinevere right away, but murdering Arthur was - he had _thought_ , anyway - something Mordred would not have done, even under pain of death. Merlin knew Arthur would never believe him. He would need to force Mordred to reveal what he was, and quickly, if he was going to save his King.

03

“It took time,” Merlin said. “Too much time. By the time Morgause and I were ready to force him into showing himself, it was too late and Arthur was dead by his hand. We forced him into the chains and into that cell. He was… raving, his power going wild. He killed four knights before we had him bound.”

“And Morgan?” Tilde asked softly.

Merlin shook his head. “We never found her. I searched his home, and the only sign of her I found was a scrap of parchment. She’d written an apology to me, for failing me, in blood.” He was quiet for a moment. “I tried questioning him, beating him, torturing him… but he never told me what he did with her.”

Eggsy was looking down at the floor. He’d said nothing the entire time Merlin had told his story. Harry found his lack of any denial troubling. He’d been so adamant about not being a demon before, about not lying to him. And yet…

“Morgan,” Harry said finally.

Merlin nodded. “Yes…?”

“Morgan le Fay.”

“Yes.” He sighed softly. “My sea-born love.”

“The Queen of Avalon.”

“In some traditions, yes,” Merlin said. “If she was there, she left no sign. She was never the queen of anything, save my heart.”

Harry said nothing for several moments. Merlin watched him curiously. Eggsy… did not look up from the floor. He didn’t _dare_ look up.

“Eggsy… what became of Morgan?”

Merlin scoffed. “Harry, if torture wouldn’t drag it from him, what makes you think just _asking_ him will do it?”

He looked at Merlin. “Mordred was Arthur’s lover.”

“I married a gay man,” Tilde said with a soft laugh. “No wonder I ran off with Lancelot.”

Eggsy started cackling; it turned into an actual laugh and he leaned back against Harry’s legs. “Oh, fuck, _that_. That started with… ahh… Chrétien I think. There’s another poem… got brought from France into Germany…”

“ _Lanzelet_ ,” Merlin said. “And that _is_ German.”

Eggsy shook his head. “No, the one _Lanzelet_ is translated from.”

“Eggsy… that was 800 years ago. I don’t have a fuckin’ clue.”

Eggsy nodded. There was really only so much they could remember before things got… foggy. Except for his mortal life. That never grew distant or foggy. It never aged with time.

“Well, _that_ tale has another king abducting her. There’s a duel, some torture, some prisoner trading, and Arthur has her back. Lancelot, on the other hand, ran off and married a faerie queen. After snogging a dragon - who was a woman under a curse - he went back to his wife. Lived a long, happy life before dying on the same day as his beloved faerie.” Eggsy laughed. “Not as tragic as poor, saintly Lancelot who has an affair with Guinevere and causes the downfall of Camelot.”

“Which is true?” Tilde asked.

“Neither,” Merlin said.

Eggsy shrugged. “Well, the dragon never happened. And I dunno if his wife was fae or not. And, well…” He paused, looking pained. “Lancelot wasn’t the one that ended the dream of Camelot.” He looked at Tilde and forced a grin. “If you wanna go with Guinevere’s different affairs, there’s the ones she had with me.”

She swatted him on the arm. “Another version, or were you fucking us both?”

Eggsy winked at her. “Both of those, actually.” He looked over at Merlin, the humor vanishing from his face. “I wasn’t their personal guard. I was their consort.”

Merlin’s eyes narrowed. “That… explains how yeh hid from me. I had so many spells on Arthur’s chambers and on Arthur, himself…” He shook his head. “You were more crafty than I gave yeh credit for.”

“I was Arthur’s lover when I was still human.”

“Then you still would have known about the spells.”

Eggsy frowned and looked away. He’d known Merlin would go back to Morgan. “Yeah, I knew ‘bout them.”

Tilde watched him, her eyes troubled. “Eggsy… _did_ you make a pact with a demon?”

He lowered his head.

“Did you kill Morgan le Fay,” Harry asked coolly, “the woman _you_ called the Queen of Avalon, who you swore an oath on?”

There it was. And the thing was, he’d known that would come back to bite him in the arse. He’d known even as he’d said it to Harry. Harry told Merlin everything; he knew Merlin would bring up Morgan. He’d brought this on himself. Intentionally.

He kept his gaze steady until he saw Merlin move. And then _he_ moved. He shot away from Harry and Tilde, into the center of the circle. He grabbed on to the anchor and clung to it. He felt the chain moving and he tried to steel himself for what he _knew_ was coming. The slack coming off his ankle wrapped around his legs. The free end wrapped around his waist and chest.

He screamed from the sudden, searing pain. Harry had grabbed _one_ chain, and it was the _shortest_ Merlin had; he had _that_ to be grateful for. He could feel the chain pressing into his flesh, constricting around him like a snake.

And then the chain fell away. He was woozy, light-headed. It had been a long, _long_ time since he’d had anywhere near that much iron against his skin at one time. He cried softly, not daring to move from his spot; not daring to even look up.

“You _dare_ use her name as a _joke_?”

He hadn’t heard Merlin that angry in a long, _long_ time. He waited. Waited for Merlin to tell Harry he was going back into his cell. Waited for the pain to start again. He wondered if Merlin actually _would_ resort to torturing him over this. But if he did… he did.

“I used it as an oath,” he said. He looked up at Merlin finally, and he saw the hate in his eyes. “Harry let me into his mind. I swore on _her_ name that I wouldn’t do anything to him.” He fought, hard, to not let his fear show. He got to his feet, slowly. “You know… there’s a bit wrong with your story.”

“Oh, is there now? Like _what_?”

“Eggsy…” Harry said softly.

It was hard, so _very_ hard to ignore his voice, to ignore the warning in his voice. “You were the only one Morgan ever took inside of her.” He laughed softly; it had an almost manic edge to it. “She was a virgin before you,” he half-sang. He tipped his head back and let it roll to the side. He looked at the runes and then at Merlin. “Would you like to know her last words?”

“Eggsy, enough,” Harry snapped.

“I could show you what happened to her. Would like to _hear_ her pretty little sobs as she was beaten?” He ran his fingers down his cheek. “Or when she was burned...? Brutalized...?”

He saw the runes stop glowing. Merlin was standing at the edge of them now. He hadn’t even _seen_ the Wizard break one. He smirked. He was _close_ to pushing Merlin over the edge.

“You’ve wanted to know what happened, right? When her _Beast_ found out what she was doing?” He laughed; it was a high, manic giggle. “It was _horrible_ , Merlin. Really, it was.”

He barely registered that Merlin had moved before he felt himself being slammed against the floor. He lay there, passively, letting the Wizard lay into him. The blows stopped almost as quickly as they started and he opened his eyes, looking up at Merlin. Merlin’s face was bright red with anger and his fist was pulled back to strike again, but he was studying Eggsy’s face.

“You _wanted_ me to hit you,” he said after a moment. He lowered his fist. “Why? Why goad me into it?”

Eggsy closed his eyes and sighed wearily. “I’m crazy. Isn’t that reason enough?”

“No.” He sighed and got off of the fae. “Do you need to be bound again?”

He pushed himself up on his elbows. “Ain’t really my call, is it?”

“Answer him, Eggsy.” Harry’s voice. Soft. Concerned.

Eggsy looked over at him. “It _ain’t_ my call though. _I_ ain’t the jailer here.”

“No,” Harry agreed. “You are, however, the only one who knows when you feel the call to killing me.”

Eggsy winced. “So… what…? You think I’m getting Merlin to beat on me cos… cos I’m feelin’ like killin’ you?”

“You tell me.”

Eggsy tried to glare at Harry, and just sighed wearily. “I’m scared, okay? I ain’t been out of that cell before, not physically.” He lay back and closed his eyes. “You know what it’s like, Harry. Drawin’ a weapon when you don’t wanna. Killin’ someone, not cos you want to, but cos you ain’t gotta choice.” His eyes slid open and he looked at Harry. “Fifteen hundred years… I know how to push his buttons.”

Harry went to Eggsy’s side and helped him to his feet. “Merlin… the anchor.”

“Harry-”

“I’m putting him to bed,” Harry said. “You can remake it in the bedroom.”

Eggsy leaned against Harry and started giggling quietly. “Just… bind my ankles together. That way Merlin doesn’t have to make that Demon barrier in his own bedroom.”

Harry looked at Eggsy and then at Merlin. “Would it be a problem to?”

“No.” Merlin eyed Eggsy.

Eggsy looked back at him, smiled a little, and winked. “Just the whole… Demonic circle in the bedroom thing, yeah?”

Merlin watched Harry guide Eggsy into the bedroom - _their_ bedroom. He tried to put it out of his mind. Not because he would begrudge his husband and his ...former… lover whatever it was they wanted just now… but because he didn’t want to consider that he was leaving Harry _alone_ with the imp. 

04

It was less than two hours later when Merlin heard the shower in the en suite. He’d been sitting on the sofa with Tilde in his arms. They’d had the television on, the sound low. They’d expected there wouldn’t be much sleeping going on.

Harry came out only a minute or so after the shower began. He certainly didn’t look like a man who’d come from two hours of physical intimacy. His hair was barely even mussed.

“We talked,” he said softly. “He told me what happened with Morgan, and he’d agreed to tell you.” He paused. “Without intentionally antagonizing you.”

Merlin’s brow rose. “Really now?”

Harry nodded. “I think you should listen.”

Merlin frowned. “He told you?”

“Yes. It isn’t a pleasant tale.”

Merlin sighed and then nodded. “Fine. I’ll listen, and as long as he isn’t an arse about it, I’ll keep the peace.”

“Thank you.”

It was about a half an hour before Eggsy joined them again. He’d clearly enjoyed _really_ feeling the shower. Merlin’s eyes flicked to Eggsy’s ankle. He’d wrapped the chain around until he could walk freely without it dragging behind. He sat on the floor, at Harry’s feet, and started working on drying the chain.

“Harry says you’re willing to tell me…”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah.” He sighed softly. “When Morgan came back, she came back with a band of iron. The back of the hand would be the simplest way…”

05

But the Beast knew what she’d been up to, and it was waiting for her. She didn’t even have the chance to touch it before it fell on her. It struck her, hard enough to knock her into the wall. She dropped the band, the burn mark clear on her palm.

“Do you think I was unaware?” it asked her.

“I can’t let you do this…”

“Oh, my dear. It’s already done.” It loomed over her and she shrank back. “You thought you could disobey me.”

“Please… I…”

It struck her again. This time, however, its hand was a claw and tore at her face. She screamed as her cheek was torn open. It struck her again. This time, it struck across her eye. She screamed again, her hand going to her eye and covering the wound. Blood gushed out from under her hand. She knew she’d never see out of that eye again.

“Do you think he’ll want you back? With your pretty little face spoiled?”

She looked away. She’d known her beauty was what had attracted him. He’d said she’d never lose him, but… but she’d lost what he’d loved about her.

It tossed a piece of parchment at her. “Write him. Tell him how you failed, how sorry you are that you were too incompetent to do the _one_ thing he asked of you. You won’t see him again, nor anyone for that matter.”

It left her be. She wrote the apology… and then stared at the words. What else was she to tell him? That even _if_ it released her, if it ever let her wander on her own again, she wouldn’t be able to face him?

Before she could finish it, the Beast returned. It brought its _own_ piece of iron with it, its hands burning from the touch. It struck her with it, again and again. She felt it burning her body; she felt it _breaking_ her body. She’s never imagined it had the strength it did. When it was done with her, when all she could do was lay there and sob, it took her apology and left her alone.

06

Eggsy trailed off. “By the next morning, she’d stopped bleedin’ but her cheek already showing signs of infection. So I… took care of her. I made it so she wouldn’t hurt anymore.”

Merlin snorted irritably. “Lovely way of saying yeh murdered her.” He looked at Harry. “Alright. I listened.”

“And?”

Merlin shrugged. “And I think I should have visited more pain on him centuries ago. Perhaps I _should_ have found an iron maiden to lock him in for a few years.”

Eggsy shuddered and Harry put a hand on him. “Really… glad you never did that.”

“Did you _really_ listen?” he pressed. “Always the ‘Beast’; never ‘I’. Not until the end.”

“Yer _point_ , Harry?”

“Eggsy… _Mordred_ wasn’t her Beast.” He paused. “There is someone forcing Eggsy to act, someone keeping him from saying some things, doing some things. And Eggsy was in the lair of Morgan’s Beast.”

Merlin eyed Harry for a moment and then looked at Eggsy. “You were _both_ bound to it.” Merlin shook his head. “It… must have been why I didn’t sense anything from Eggsy. It knew how to protect itself from me.”

Eggsy shrugged. “That could be.”

“Why didn’t you ever _tell_ me that?”

“He can’t,” Harry said. “He didn’t tell me that part, either. He… talked around it.”

Merlin looked thoughtful for a moment. “It has ta be a very powerful Demon.”

“Not really,” Eggsy said. “It’s a _chwibleian_.”

Merlin stiffened. “You’re certain of that?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I met another one before, back when I was a kid. Thought they was just… wise fae. I mean, that’s what the one I met seemed like. Saw that one a bunch growin’ up, and a lot more as an adult. It was the other Demon that lived in Camelot.”

“What’s a….” Tilde asked.

“ _Chwibleian_ ,” Merlin said. “It’s a particular sort of Demon. A cambion. The spawn of a demon and a human.” He paused. “Some of them are Antichrists. Those ones… are powerful.”

Harry closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You’re telling me there’s an entire _race_ of Antichrists. Merlin, I’ve listened to a _lot_ today. I’ve been forced to believe in a _lot_ today, but this idea…”

“As Eggsy is so kindly not saying, Harry,” Merlin offered him a grim smile. “That’s _why_ I have magic; that’s why I’m immortal. I… was the other Demon living in Camelot. I am a cambion.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note as of 30 - April - 2019.
> 
> If you've read this before, subscribed to it, bookmarked it, whatever and have _not_ gone back and reread this: I rewrote it. I wasn't happy with it (I was high af on medication for bronchitis and had a fever at the time. My dudes, you should have seen my notes for this fic; they had _nothing_ to do with it)
> 
> It isn't majorly changed, but there _are_ changes, more details, and more information. I'd suggest going back and rereading it. If you don't want to, at least go back to the chapter before cos this one starts on the heels of the last chapter's end bit and, uh, you get a Thing that wasn't brought up by that point before.
> 
> ANYWAY  
> Enjoy.

01

“I beg your pardon,” Harry said slowly. “You’re… a _cambion_.”

Merlin nodded. “It’s actually… in… one of the versions. So is my being of the Antichrist variety. I’ve tried very hard to keep away from that side of myself.”

“You… you told me… your mother didn’t believe in demons.”

Merlin nodded. “And she didn’t. Not until one took her to its bed and got her with its spawn.”

Harry just gaped at him. He looked away and then looked back, as if what Merlin had said would make more sense now. He looked away again, and then down at Eggsy before looking back at Merlin again. “You’re a demon.”

“Aye.”

“That’s… that’s the real reason Eggsy was laughing about you making that warding in the bedroom.”

Eggsy started snickering. “Yeah, well… can you blame me there?”

Harry shook his head. “Why… didn’t you say anything?”

He shrugged. “Merlin ain’t a bad guy, Harry. I didn’t want you to, you know, stop trustin’ him.

Harry put his hand on the back of Eggsy’s neck and squeezed lightly. For all that had happened between them, Eggsy still cared for Merlin. And very deeply. Harry didn’t think that Eggsy falling in love with Merlin had been an act.

“Thank you for that,” Harry said softly.

“How do you know she’s a cambion?” Tilde asked after a moment.

“She told me when she changed me.” He paused. “I didn’t… go _looking_ for her. I’d been Arthur and Guinevere’s lover for… quite a while before I met her.”

“Did you love us both?”

Eggsy looked at her. He wanted to tell her that he had. That he’d come to love her as much as he had Arthur. The truth must have shown on his face; he saw the way her own face fell. He shrugged.

“I loved her for Arthur,” he said softly. “I would have done anything for him; what was loving his wife?”

She nodded. “Yeah…”

“But I was jealous… so very jealous.”

02

He harbored a deep hatred for her. He’d seen how Arthur had started looking at her; it was how his beloved looked at him. Still, he went to their bed and made love to the both of them. For Arthur. Because his King, his beloved, wanted it.

Then came the day his jealousy got the better of him. He should be the one beside Arthur at all times. He should be more than their consort, whom the public took as their guard. He’d been there longer than she had; he’d _loved_ Arthur longer than she had.

He rode away from the castle, pushing his horse to go faster and faster, as if he could outrun his anger and jealousy. Eventually, the horse - worn out from the constant pace - stumbled, nearly knocking the Knight off its back. He dismounted with a quiet apology and let the horse rest. They wouldn’t be returning that night, not with how he’d pushed the animal.

The horse sensed it before he did. It reared back in fright and took off. He watched it stagger and fall. It tried to rise again, but then lay still. It was only the first who would die because of his jealousy.

He drew his sword and turned in a slow circle. And then he heard it; a childlike giggling coming here and there, as if the owner was rapidly circling him just out of sight.

“Show yourself!”

“I am here,” came a somehow dark sounding girl’s voice.

He whirled to face her. She appeared to be no more than a child of eight, with pale, pale skin and dark eyes. She wore a long, white dress and her dark hair was pulled back in a neat plait.

“Are you lost, child?” He didn’t think she was a child, but it was showing itself to be one and he had no desire to anger whatever fey or such he’d come across. He sheathed his sword, more in a showing of good faith than any belief that she was harmless.

“No,” she said with another giggle. “But you are. I can help.”

He smiled gently. “I thank you for your kind offer, child, but I know my way back.”

“I do not speak of the way you came, good Sir Knight.”

He faltered back a half-step. “Then of what do you speak ?”

She tipped her head to the side. “You are lost; he will forget you in time.”

He forced a smile. “I know not of what you speak.”

“Yes, you do.” She tittered and tipped her head back. She pointed at the full moon above them. “Soon, her belly will grow fat as the moon with his child. And then, you will be lost, forsaken.” She lowered her arm and looked back at him. “It has already begun, son of Lot, son of Anna.”

A chill went through him. “What are you that you may speak so?”

“I am a _chwibleian_.”

“You are a ‘pallid wanderer’.” He smiled softly. He knew Merlin was one, and he believed them to just be a type of fey. He wasn’t certain why this one was showing itself as a small child, but he didn’t really think he was in any danger from her.

She giggled again. “Very good, very good indeed. You wandered into my home.”

“My many apologies, Lady,” he said with a bow.

She shook her head. “Few humans can manage that. For it, I shall grant you a boon.”

He hesitated. It was not wise to refuse the gifts of a fey, nor was it wise to accept them. “May I ask what manner of boon you offer?”

“I will make it so he never forgets you, so that you are truly the first in his heart. I will give you all that you want, and more.”

He shivered. Her offer was more than merely tempting. “And in return? Such bounty cannot come merely because I have come into your home.”

She tittered. “Ah, very wise of you. You shall never name me, not in all the ages of your lives together. And I will call upon you from time to time; you will do my bidding.”

“What do you mean, all the ages of our lives?”

She smiled, and for a moment she was surrounded by radiant light. “I will grant you immortality the moment you are first in his heart. You will ever be together.”

He shuddered and turned away from her. Together, with Arthur, and first in his heart… for all the ages of man. “And what…” He was breathing hard. “What ‘bidding’ will I be doing?”

“Nothing you will refuse,” she said reassuringly.

He made a soft sound of longing. Nothing he would refuse, and he could never name her. What was that in the face of being Arthur’s true beloved again, beside him for all time? Part of him knew it was too good to be true but… how could he refuse this?

“I accept your boon,” he said.

“The deal is struck,” she said and faded from sight.

He looked around for a moment, and then the pain began. He screamed, being driven to his knees by it. He thought it would never end, and then blessèd, painless darkness overtook him. He woke in an unfamiliar bed. It was a fight to get to his feet, and he stumbled like a baby. He was caught by a woman with pale skin, dark hair, and iridescent wings. She helped him to his feet with a playful smile.

“Soft,” she said. “You have just been reborn.”

“You…” he gasped.

“Yes. I am no more a woman than I was a child, but it seems only right that I appear older than you now.”

She whispered her name to him and led him to a mirror. He stared at himself and touched his own face.

“What have you done to me?”

“What you wanted,” she said in a dark but pleasant voice.

“No. This.” He shook his head. “Arthur will never know me.”

She pet his hair. “I will teach you to show the face you want.”

03

He spent the first day trying to escape. Her home was a gilded palace. Try as he might, it seemed like every door he found simply led to another room. She followed him, slowly and without comment. Every so often her wings twiched in what Mordred quickly realized was amusement.

“You realize there’s no real way out of here,” she said after letting him search and search. “The only way in or out is by magic. This is a fey place. Well… not exactly _fey_.”

His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, lady?”

“I’ve made _you_ fey, but _I_ am hardly one.” She smiled. “You really don’t know what the pallid wanderers are, do you?”

“They are a type of fey.” He paused. “Are they not?”

She shook her head. “We are… children, if you will. Children of a mortal, oft a woman, and a Demon.”

He fell back from her. He’d accepted a boon from a Demon. No, not a boon. A _deal_. He’d damned himself. “I should have realized,” he said softly. “What you offered… ‘Twas everything I ever wanted.”

She nodded. “Yes, you should have.” She smiled brightly. “But you did not. And now, I will show you how to look as you please.”

“I’ll not do your bidding.”

She laughed softly. It was a pleasant sound, like the tinkling of chimes. But he could hear the darkness beneath it. “You will. You have no more choice in the matter than you do keeping your silence about me.”

“You lie.”

She hummed softly. “Kneel,” she commanded.

He made a softly panicked sound as he found himself kneeling. He struggled to get to his feet and found his body would not obey him. “No…”

“I told you that I would ask nothing of you that you would refuse.” She grinned at him. “Your own fault for not asking _why_ you would not refuse me.”

“You tricked me!”

“No. I simply dangled the bait and you swallowed it without question.” She stood over him. “Now, my servant, you have two options: fight me as you are and never see dear Arthur again… or accept what you have agreed to and I will allow you to leave this place. In truth it hardly matters. You will do what I wish. The only question is if you will ever see Arthur again.”

Arthur… He’d done _all_ of this, damned himself, to be with him. What was it worth if he stayed her prisoner? If he gave up what little freedom he would be allowed? He knew it was selfish. He knew it could be dangerous. But… he _needed_ Arthur.

He lowered his head. “I will do… as I have agreed.”

She taught him how to take on - what he still considered to be - his true form at will. But it was nearly a month before he could hold it for hours. He still had trouble keeping it up when he was asleep. The only answer would be making certain to wake before Arthur and Guinevere… or no longer going to their bed.

That thought… hurt. He would just have to be the one to wake first.

She released him back into the mortal world, and set him down not far from Camelot. He walked back, and every step felt heavier and heavier. He made his way back to the castle and found Arthur. He saw the look of surprise on his King’s face and wondered if he shouldn’t have stayed away.

He bowed his head. “My King, forgive my absence.”

Arthur embraced him, and then guided him away from prying eyes. “My beloved, where have you been? We have been out of our minds with worry.”

We. Clearly Arthur was referring to himself with the ‘royal we’.

“I was lost, my horse threw me and died. A woman brought me home and nursed me back to health.”

It was… a misdirection but not exactly a lie.

“Guinevere will be as relieved as I.”

He took Mordred down to their chambers. The Queen was, indeed, pregnant as the Demon has said. She was not showing much, but it was enough to be noticable. She went to him and held him.

“I feared you had realized before I said anything and left.” She stepped back from him. “Our child will not change our feelings for you.”

He smiled and bowed his head. “Of course not.”

Arthur leaned his head against his beloved’s own. “You are just as likely to be the father as I.” He paused. “Honestly, I have hoped for it to _be_ your child.”

Mordred looked up at him. “Why? You lay with her before I, you are the King. Obviously, the child is yours.”

“Yes, of course it is mine. But… I could ask for no better child than one formed by my beloved and my wife.”

“It would please us both,” she said softly. “My husband, I would speak with him alone, if you would allow.”

He kissed her temple. “Of course.” He put a hand on Mordred’s cheek and kissed him. “Do not disappear like that again.”

He bowed his head. Once Arthur was gone, he looked at his Queen. “I know you said that for his sake. You need not tell me so.”

She stared at him for a moment before putting her arms around him and holding tightly to him. “No, I meant every word. Nothing would please me more.” She was silent a moment. “I know you and I have not… always been the best of friends, much less of lovers.” She looked up at him. “But I _have_ come to love you. I did not realize quite how badly until you were gone.”

He wondered if this was the Demon’s doing. “You did…?”

She nodded. “You were so angry when you left. I realized we might never see you again and I felt my heart breaking. I _do_ love you, beloved of my husband. It is my hope that, in time, you will be able to love me, as well.”

He shook his head in disbelief. If he’d just returned… if he hadn’t made the deal… he would have seen this. He would have seen that he would not be pushed away. “I will try,” he said numbly. “For us as much as him.”

She kissed him. “Thank you, my beloved. If you cannot, then you cannot. But he _does_ love you best, and I will not come between that.”

04

“I felt like such a fuckin’ arse.”

Tilde sighed softly. “Did you end up loving her?”

Eggsy shrugged. “I dunno. It wasn’t long after that… I mean, it was long enough for her to have her child. I’d disappear on them for a day or so here and there, when _she_ ’d order me to do something.”

“You knew even then,” Merlin said softly. “And you didn’t go to him about it.”

“Fuck no,” Eggsy said. “You’d always been good to him and he relied on you for some things. I didn’t, you know, think you was a bad one.”

“Did you ever have an answer?” Harry asked. “Regarding how much of their feelings were caused by her?”

“I don’t think any of it was. I think she’d been watching and waiting, and _knew_ I just was too fuckin’ wrapped up in myself to see the truth.” Eggsy sighed and looked away. “Though she did… make me first in your heart.”

Merlin closed his eyes and groaned softly. “Yes, you were. The first and only.”

“I don’t follow…”

Eggsy looked at him. “I killed Arthur with a dagger to the heart.”

Harry shook his head. “Literally the first in his heart.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah. And with that? My powers came fully into being. So the Knights who tried to take me down?” He shook his head. “I couldn’t control it. They got caught up in it and I killed them, too.”

“Morgause and I had worked with a blacksmith on the chains and shackles. We enchanted them as they were formed. Iron will hold a fae, aye, but we needed to be certain it would hold him.” Merlin shook his head. “It took all five before his power stopped surging.”

“My prison was going to be a shrine - the other two rooms down there are - but they… made it otherwise. I was locked in and Merlin closed the door until a time when Arthur would open it again.” He paused. “Course, being a cambion and not a fae, fucker could pass through the bars and into my cell.”

Merlin offered them a wry smile. “Again, it was the sixth century.”

Eggsy shrugged. “Was a long time ago.”

Tilde shook her head. “So why not just… break the cycle somehow?”

“He can’t,” Merlin said. “The human soul - and whatever else he may be, his soul _is_ still human - is not made for immortality. He is, essentially, frozen in time. He was frozen the moment he killed Arthur.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“He means… that whoever Arthur becomes - Harry or whoever else - I will always love him. I will always come when he chooses. And I will _always_ kill him.”

“What does that mean about me?” she asked softly. “That he only loves me because he _has_ to?”

Eggsy shook his head. “No, babe. I loved you before I knew. Fuck, I loved you when I thought I was free of this entire fuckin’ thing. I mean, yeah, sure, I was probably starting to love her. But… you ain’t her. Just like Harry ain’t Arthur.” He shrugged. “Fine line, I guess, but I don’t just love you cos of who you were. I love you for who you _are_.”

“Except that you _have_ to love me.”

Eggsy eyed Harry for a moment. “Yeah, I have to… but it don’t mean I don’t love _you_. Trust me, there’ve been cycles where you were a complete fuck and I hated you. I still loved you under it.”

Harry nodded. That… He was glad of that. He didn’t believe that his feelings for Eggsy were the result of just… this entire cycle. They were _his_. And he was glad that Eggsy’s feelings weren’t simply because Mordred _had_ to love him.

Tilde looked at Merlin. “I still don’t understand _you_.”

Eggsy laughed. “Fuck, babe, it’s just one-a those things, you know? I know fuckin’ everything about him. I been around him since forever. I guess I just… you know… Harry was dead, I was free. Guess I just…” He shook his head.

Merlin eyed him for a moment. “It sounds a little…”

“Stockholm-y?”

He nodded.

“Maybe.” Eggsy shrugged. “It is what it is. I love you. As much as I love her, as much as I love Harry.”

Merlin looked surprised at that. Because there was nothing to suggest he was lying; not in his body language, not in his eyes. There was just… that simple look of love and adoration in his eyes.

He sighed. “Well… as much as I don’t want to, I _do_ love you.”

Eggsy grinned.

“What about your pale wanderer?” Harry asked. “Could you find her?”

“Yeah. Ain’t like she hides ever.”

“Then we should go to her. Just you and I.” He sat back. “Either she’ll break the cycle or be forced to kill me herself.”

Eggsy shook his head. “No. Ain’t bringin’ you to her. That’s as good as killin’ you myself.”

“If yer set on this, Harry,” Merlin began, “I can get us to her. _If_ we can figure out who she is.”

Harry nodded. “I would ask how hard it could be, but I suspect the answer would be ‘very’.”

Eggsy looked away from them. He _wanted_ to tell Harry not to do this. He _wanted_ to tell Harry was a ridiculously _bad idea_ this was. Wanted to, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t make the words pass his lips. _She_ wouldn’t let them. The most he could do was stall them, drag his feet and make them look on their own.

But he knew how stubborn Harry was. He knew he couldn’t stall them for long.


	5. Chapter 5

01

It didn’t take Harry long to realize he _would_ need Eggsy’s help to find ‘her’. There were too many myths, too many players. He thought about just printing off a list of everyone ever mentioned in the Arthurian legends and telling Eggsy to read it out loud. Somehow, he doubted Eggsy would do as he’d asked.

“I ain’t doin’ it.” Eggsy crossed his arms.

“Would you rather kill me yet again?”

Eggsy shot Harry a dark look. “You want me to take you to _her_. How’s that not killing you?”

Harry sighed and turned away from him. “What other options do we have?”

“Dunno,” Eggsy shrugged. He looked over at Merlin, a little smirk appearing on his face. “Wanna summon your father? I just need a one-way trip to Hell.”

“Eggsy,” Tilde chided.

“Sorry, babe.” He kept his gaze on Merlin a moment longer before looking away from him. It could be so difficult sometimes to not want to antagonize him.

Eggsy let the search go on for two weeks. He watched Harry spend every free moment reading over the varying versions, looking for some idea of who they were after. But there were so many sorcerers and fae that Harry couldn’t do more than narrow the list. And even then, he knew he could be mistaken. Because nothing suggested that Mordred, himself, had ever been anything more than human 

“Alright,” he said wearily after Harry closed yet another book. “Take me back to the prison.”

Almost instantly, Merlin had moved between Harry and Eggsy. Eggsy shook his head.

“No, cos… there’s a lot of magic in the walls. Take the chain off me, take me back… and I think I can… get you to her.”

Merlin’s brow rose. “Suddenly feeling helpful?”

Eggsy laughed and looked down for a moment. “Yeah, somethin’ like that.” He shook his head. “If Harry’s willin’ to _try_ and stop this… why shouldn’t I help? It’s what I’ve wanted. For this to end.”

Harry put a hand on Merlin and moved him aside. “And what happens to you if this… ends?”

Eggsy shrugged. “I die? Fuck, I dunno. You really think, though, after all the years I’ve been alive, I ain’t gonna welcome that?”

Harry frowned a little but nodded. “Alright.”

“You’re just… _alright_ with that?!” Tilde snapped. “You’re alright with him just… _dying_? _Again_?!”

Eggsy went over to her and cupped her face in his hands. He kissed her, so softly and gently. “I fell in love with you - and _hard_ \- without knowing who you’d been. I don’t think I woulda if I’d known; or, at least, I wouldn’t-a let myself show it. And if Harry really had been dead, I woulda been perfectly happy livin’ out my life with you.” He kissed her again. “But if it’s a choice between dyin’ and killin’ him again? I’ll pick dyin’ every time.”

She wanted to pull out of his grasp. She wanted to be angry with him. But she just sighed softly. “I understand. Really, I do. But I don’t… I don’t _want_ to.”

“I know, babe.”

She leaned her forehead against his for a moment and then sighed. “Alright. If we’re doing this, let’s get it over with.”

02

They got back to the prison and let Eggsy out of the chain. His already bright eyes glowed for a second and he tipped his head back with a sigh. It had been so _long_ since he’d felt the power inside of him. It was weak and he knew it would take time for it to come back to full.

“Merlin, can you… like… siphon the magic out of this place? Put it inside a circle for me?”

He nodded. “Aye, I can do that. It’ll take some time.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah, well… this is gonna take some time as it is.” He took Harry by the hand. “Babe, can you stay with Merlin?”

She frowned a little but then nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

He laughed. “Ain’t gonna be like that. If I was having one last fuck, it wouldn’t just be with Harry.”

She grinned. “I’ll stay with him.”

He tipped her a wink and then led Harry through the door that had been straight ahead when he and Tilde had first come down into the prison. It led to another flared room. There were everburning torches along the wall and one single thing inside. It was a stone pedestal, and on it was a simple, wooden cup.

Harry felt his breath catch. “That isn’t…” he whispered.

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah, it is. I know lots of people like to think of it as bein’ gold and jeweled and shit. But…” He shrugged. “How the fu-” He cut himself off and began again. “How’s a carpenter gonna afford somethin’ like _that_?”

Harry did _not_ miss that _Eggsy_ had just censored himself. He quirked his brow.

“Shut up,” he muttered. He went over to the cup, crossed himself, and knelt. He bowed his head and clasped his hands in front of himself. “You forget: I _was_ a Knight once.”

“Did you… bring me in here to pray…?”

“If you wanna…” He looked back at Harry. “You realize we both gonna die, right? I know you don’t really believe in any of this, but… I still do.” He gave Harry a wry smile. “More than I did back then, really. Hard not to, livin’ in my own Hell all this time.”

Harry went over to him and knelt beside him. “I’ll do it for you. I called Merlin superstitious when he said he wanted to protect me from a faerie. He was right. I can… take a leap of faith for you.” He shook his head. “What should I pray for? I’m… more than a little out of practice with this.”

Eggsy smiled softly. “A quick death at someone’s hand other than mine? Protection from what we about to walk into? God’s blessing on this? I dunno.” He shrugged. “I’m just… asking forgiveness. I know I’m headed to Hell for what I done, and there ain’t nothin’ Hell can do to me I ain’t been already livin’. I know His forgiveness ain’t gonna change that, but… don’t mean I don’t want it.”

Harry watched him as he lowered his head again. It was amazing to him that he was so… _different_ in ways from Eggsy as he’d known him. He still spoke like Eggsy, and Harry wondered if that was simple habit. Or if he just… _liked_ … being Eggsy.

He smiled a little at Eggsy/Mordred and lowered his own head. He tried, for Eggsy, but it just… wasn’t something that was really in him. It felt somewhat hypocritical. So he just waited, in silence, for Eggsy to finish.

It was only a couple minutes before Eggsy spoke, without looking up or opening his eyes. “I can finish up.”

“Take your time,” Harry said softly. “You need this more than I do.”

It was a good ten minutes before he crossed himself again and stood. Harry stood with him and watched him. Eggsy looked… almost terrified. His gaze was locked on the cup.

“We both gotta drink.”

Harry’s brow rose. “And that has you afraid?”

“I’m afraid the cup’s gonna crack the moment I touch it. Or the wine’ll turn to blood or ash in my mouth.” He sighed softly. “Some… sign like that sayin’ I’m too damned for there to be any hope.”

Harry eyed him for a moment and then picked up the cup. The Grail. The fucking Holy Grail. He held it in both hands. It just seemed… wrong… to hold it the way one might hold a glass. And as he held it, it filled with a dark purple liquid. It smelled of red wine and Harry drank it.

It tasted like a decent red, especially for something that had just… appeared… in a 2,000 year old cup. Perhaps the strangest bit about it… was he would have sworn he felt _something_ as he drank the wine. Maybe it was just from Eggsy/Mordred’s beliefs. Or maybe it was proof of ‘more things in Heaven and Earth’.

He held the cup out to Eggsy. “Take it.”

Eggsy met his gaze for a moment before taking it from him. It refilled, again with a dark purple liquid. He took a drink from it and lowered his head.

“Eggsy…?”

“Never thought the taste of wine would make me… so… _happy_.”

Harry laughed softly and took the cup from him. He set it back on its pedestal and watched as it drained as simply as it had filled. “And now?”

He smiled at Harry and nodded toward the door. He led Harry into the last room, the room Harry had felt a pull to. Harry was… not surprised by what he found in there. Not after the last room. Not after the pull he felt to _this_ room.

It was clearly another shrine, lined with more everburning torches. In the center of the room was a pillar of light. Inside of it was a simple looking sword with a silver and gold hilt. There were runes etched into the top of it, and it seemed to be held up by the light.

“Only you can draw it.” 

Harry had to bite down on a grin. It was a sort of… boyhood fantasy come true. There was just one problem. “You do realize I know how to fence and… that’s it.”

Eggsy laughed softly. “Take it.”

Harry eyed him for a moment and then approached the light. He _had_ been here before, then. Just… as Arthur. He’d come down into this place and put his warsword - hadn’t one of those books said Arthur has a sword of peace, too? - away. And now he was taking it up again. 

He reached into the light - it was _warm_ on his skin - and took hold of the hilt. As he drew it, he felt it changing. It came out of the light, not as a sword, but as a Kingsman sidearm. It was the same silver and gold as the hilt had been, runes etched along the barrel.

Eggsy grinned at him. “Wasn’t a sword when Arthur first picked it up. It was a dagger back then. It changed to what he needed, to what you needed.”

“The Dagger in the Stone…” Harry shook his head. “It loses something.”

Eggsy laughed. “Yeah, really does.” He looked the gun over, without reaching to touch it. “I’m a little surprised, actually. You favor the rainmaker.”

Harry nodded. “Yes… But Excalibur is a warsword. A rainmaker is just as much about defense.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Harry… promise me something, yeah?”

“Alright.”

“Promise me that, if you find a way to end this, you’ll end it. No matter what it means for me.” He watched Harry for a moment. “Please.”

“You have my word,” Harry said quietly. He knew what Eggsy was _really_ asking. “If I can end this for you… I will.”

“Thank you.”

He led Harry back out into the circular room. As much as Harry didn’t want to, he traded out the sidearm in his holster for Excalibur and found a place to leave his Kingsman sidearm. It wasn’t even that he didn’t want that weapon in his holster; he just wanted to keep it in his hand. Touch made things _real_ and he wanted to keep on touching it.

03

It took Merlin the better part of an hour to siphon off the energy in the walls. Eggsy went into the center of the circle of power and it glowed green around him. The green light spread outward until it touched the edge of the circle. He touched it and spoke a single word. The energy sank to the floor and solidified into light.

“Tilde, you oughta stay here.”

“Fuck you,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’m going with you. I know I’m not… not a spy, not trained to fight. But I feel like I need to.”

Eggsy eyed her. “You realize we probably ain’t coming back, right?’

She nodded. “I know. That’s… why I need to go with you. Maybe I _can_ help. I don’t know _how_ , but I have as much experience with this shit as Harry.”

Eggsy grinned. “Alright, fine. Just remember: it’s been a _long_ fuckin’ time since I’ve been here and I dunno if I can get us back.”

“There’s two of us,” Merlin said softly. “We ought to be able to do… _something_.”

Eggsy nodded. “Alright. Get over here with me then. And stay close.”

They joined him and the circle glowed brightly, too brightly for any of them to see through. When the glow faded, they were standing inside a wide, gilded hall. It wasn’t the only change, either. _Eggsy_ had changed. He was smaller and more feminine looking, but still well muscled. The freckles and moles had faded; his skin was paler. His hair was dark and curly, but his eyes had not darkened. They remained Eggsy’s eyes. But otherwise, he was Mordred again.

“Am I still pleasing?” he asked Harry. It wasn’t Eggsy’s voice any longer, but he still had traces of the accent.

Harry smiled softly. “I admit, I _do_ prefer Eggsy’s look, but yes. You are very pleasing.”

He grinned and led them down the corridor. It led to a pair of gilded doors. He looked at Harry and then at Merlin. There was something fleetingly guilty in his face. He thought about saying something to them, warning them, telling them… but then he just opened the doors and led them into a throne room.

“Hello, mother,” Eggsy said darkly to the woman on the throne. He approached her and bowed, stiffly. Everything in his posture showed his hate of the woman. “As instructed, I’ve brought you Merlin and Arthur.”

“And even dear Guinevere,” she said with a glance at Tilde. “You really _must_ have enjoyed killing her that one time.”

He scowled at her but said nothing.

“As instructed,” Merlin repeated flatly. “I should have realized.”

“Oh, don’t be too angry,” she laughed. “Mordred can hardly refuse an order once I give it.”

“Well,” Harry began pleasantly, “now that you have us: what was it you wanted?”

She tittered. “Obviously, my darling pet is going to kill you again.” She sighed happily. “I do so enjoy his pain.”

A dagger formed in Eggsy’s hand and he sighed. “I tried to warn you…” he said quietly.

“But you, my darling cambion…” she smiled slowly and stood. “You and I are going to harness that lovely power within you and you will _finally_ fulfill your destiny as an Antichrist.”

“That’s… what all of this was about, Morgause?”

Harry stiffened and looked from Merlin to… to _Morgause_? “Morgan’s sister? This was _your_ doing?”

“Morgan is not my sister. She never was.”

“Is?” Merlin felt himself start. “Morgan’s dead.”

She tittered. “Morgan, my sweet.”

Eggsy sighed. His hair grew into long, red waves. One side of his… _her_ … face was scarred from being torn by Morgause, and that eye was milky. The other had turned the bright cat’s eye green again. She shook her hair forward, covering her deformed face.

“I tried to tell you,” Morgan said. “I was certain you’d understood when you realized I loved you…”

Merlin reached out and stroked the fae’s cheek. “My sea-born one. Maybe if I’d been truly listening to you… maybe I would have realized.”

“Oh, enough of this,” Morgause sighed. “The two of you were sickening fifteen hundred years ago, and you’re sickening now. Morgan, kill Arthur.”

She stepped away from Merlin and toward Harry. Merlin grabbed her arm and held her fast. But a single word from Morgause and Morgan was free again. Not only that, but neither Merlin nor Tilde could move. All _they_ could do, was watch Morgan slowly walk toward Harry.

“You promised me,” she said softly.

“I know.”

“ _Please_ , Harry.”

Harry drew his sidearm, drew Excalibur, and aimed it at Morgan. She walked right to it and put her hand on the barrel, moving it so it was aimed at her heart. Harry locked eyes with her. How many lifetimes had they been lovers? How many times had Morgan, had Mordred been forced to kill him? And now he was being asked to do it… but as a kindness.

“I love you,” Harry said, so very softly, and then pulled the trigger.

The look on her face was something very close to relief. He watched her fall and saw the small smile that was frozen on her lips. He took a breath to steady himself, and then turned his gaze on Morgause.

“I’m surprised you didn’t stop me.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t feel like it.”

“Or,” Harry said, “you _can’t_.”

She glared at him. “You’re _human_. You hardly have the power to stop me.”

“Yes, but I drank from the Grail.” He laughed softly. “Here I thought I was humoring Eggsy and he was protecting me from you. He disobeyed you as far as he could, even to the end.” He leveled the weapon at her. “I assume this will work on _you_ just as it worked on her.”

She scoffed, but Harry thought he saw doubt in her eyes. “Clearly, I left her more human than I planned.”

Harry thought about aiming low, leaving her alive to die slowly. Instead, he aimed for her eye. The same eye she’d taken from Morgan for trying to protect him all those centuries ago. He shot twice, and the surprise barely had time to register on her face before she fell.

“I thought he might have been taking you to it,” Merlin said quietly as Morgause’s spell failed. “Excalibur is gods-forged. No Demon can stand before it.”

Merlin looked back at Tilde for a moment and then went to Morgan. He knelt beside her and touched her cooling cheek. All those centuries… all of the hate, the pain… and she’d been there the entire time. And even with everything he had done to… to _them_... they had still loved him.

“Goodbye, my sea-born one,” he said quietly. 

Harry went to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “If you can bring us back, I’ll carry her for you.”

Harry picked her up as Merlin started drawing a circle of energy. They passed through Merlin’s gateway and returned to the prison. Harry made a soft sound once they were back. Merlin and Tilde turned to see what had caused it.

Morgan’s body was gone.

04

She woke on a hard bed and struggled to sit up. Pain bloomed in her chest and she fell back. The last thing Morgan remembered was Harry shooting her. She touched where the pain was and felt a bandage. She could feel a second on her face, the side that Morgause had disfigured so long ago.

“You’re awake.”

She turned her head toward the voice. There was a woman standing there, dressed all in white. The woman seemed to almost _shimmer_ and Morgan knew she was in the presence of another fae. A _real_ fae this time and not a Demon in disguise.

“Where am I?”

“Avalon.”

Morgan laughed. “Well… I _was_ supposed to end up here someday, wasn’t I?”

The fae laughed softly. “Yes, we’ve been waiting for you. We’ve healed you, and you’ll be free to return to the mortal world in short order.”

She shook her head. “I won’t kill Arthur again.”

“Oh! No,” the fae shook her head. “With Morgause dead, the cycle is broken. You could live out a lifetime as Eggsy, or whomever you wish. You could stay as long as you like; multiple lifetimes if you wish.” She paused. “Do you know _why_ you were to come here?”

Morgan shook her head. “No. I only know that I was _supposed_ to.”

“You were to bring Arthur here. This was to be his land of eternal rest.”

Morgan gave her a sour look. “So… kill him again.”

“No. He’s mortal. He _will_ die in time.”

She sighed. “So what happens when I bring him here?”

The fae shrugged lightly. “You are the Queen of Avalon, he the King of Camelot. Do as kings and queens do.”

She scoffed. “He’ll be dead.”

“This is an undying land, child of Lot, child of Anna. Arthur’s rest will be from the mortal world.”

She sat up, unmindful of the pain in her chest. “You mean… we’d be together here. Forever.”

The fae nodded.

“What ‘bout Merlin? Tilde, um, Guinevere?”

“Bring them if you like. You _are_ the Queen here.”

She smiled softly. Would they even _want_ to come? She hoped they would. “So… how do I get back there?”

“Lay back and close your eyes,” the fae said. “It will be the same as when you took the place of someone else. And when it is time to bring Arthur here… you will find your way back.”

She did as she was told… and only a moment later heard a shriek and felt someone falling on her, holding her. She opened her eyes, and found herself looking into Michelle’s own. She was on the sofa in Michelle’s home.

“Baby? How? I…”

_Baby_. Morgan smiled slowly. That meant she… _he_ was Eggsy again. “Hi, mum.”

She cupped his face in her hands. “Harry… Harry came by…”

“Yeah, well… Rest of the squad had to leave me, you know. Got found by some locals who took care-a me. They had no way of knowin’. Bet they thought local wildlife’d made off with me.”

She clung to him, crying on him.

“Sorry I scared you, mum.”

“You should be,” she said without any heat. “You’re a _tailor_ , huh?”

He laughed softly. “Yeah, well… on paper…”

“MIlitary or government?” She pulled back from him a little. “Or can I even know?”

“Probably best if you don’t. Classified ops and all that shit.”

She shook her head. “If any of this ever gets _de_ classified, you are _going_ to tell me. That’s not a request.”

“Yes, mum,” he said with a little salute.

Epilogue

In short order, Eggsy and Tilde were married. That didn’t mean they gave up Merlin and Harry, and neither did Eggsy give up Kingsman. He kept his identity secret by taking Mordred’s form anytime he went on a mission. He spent forty years in the mortal world, and changed himself over the years so that he would appear to age appropriately. He retired from Kingsman when it felt like he should.

“Babe…”

It was mid-autumn and dusk. He could feel the circle coming to a final close.

“Harry?” she asked softly.

“Soon.”

He reached out and took her hand and they appeared at Harry’s bedside. And while it hadn’t been a conscious decision on Eggsy’s part, they had appeared as Morgan. It didn’t surprise them, not really. After all, it was _Morgan_ who was supposed to bear Arthur to Avalon.

“Are you ready, my King?” she asked softly.

Harry sighed. “Oh, I suppose.” He smiled up at her. “I’ve been expecting you, really. Merlin stopped mother-henning me a week ago.”

She laughed softly. “Merlin will remain with Tilde, as me, until it’s her time. And-”

“And then he’ll bring her to Avalon,” Harry finished. “I’m old and dying, Eggsy, not senile.”

Morgan looked at Tilde. “Kiss to remember me by?”

She smiled and kissed Morgan. Oh, it was odd. The fae was _just_ shorter than she was. She was accustomed to her lovers being taller. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t rush after you.”

“I wouldn’t want you to.” She looked at Tilde a moment longer before turning back to Harry. “Take my hand.”

He took her hand and then they were in the mists at the entrance to Avalon. Morgan eyed Harry for a moment, winked, and was Eggsy again. Eggsy at the age Harry had brought him into Kingsman.

Harry laughed, letting his head tip back. He hadn’t felt like this in… in seventy years. He knew, even without looking, that he was twenty-three again. He had a feeling he could be whatever age he wanted in this place. But, for now at least, this age suited him fine.

“You really musta liked it when you was twenty-three.”

Harry grinned at him. The weight of the years as Galahad and as Arthur had slipped off his shoulders. It wasn’t that he had forgotten those years, but the pains that had come with them were gone.

“Do you really blame me? I was young, a bit more carefree, and I hadn’t learned to be quite as serious as I was at fifty.” He paused. “I hadn’t been a spy long enough to lose that.”

“Wanna have a look around?” Eggsy frinned. “I didn’t exactly explore when I was here last time. Sorta just… woke up and popped back home.”

Harry sighed softly, pleasantly. “That sounds... perfect.”

_Finis_


End file.
